Exploring Pisa and Beyond

 Today’s adventure began with a trip to the famous city of Pisa. The leaning tower seems to be on everyone’s travel list, so  it shouldn't be too surprising that it was included in our Tuscany tour. We headed out early, by bus, to the outskirts of the town. Here we all hopped into a travel train that escorted us on a very rickety and bumpy trip near the entrance to the Piazza. 

We met our guide, Vincenzo, who did an excellent job instructing us on how to get the best photo.  He even included a hint on just how to capture an image where it appeared that someone was trying to hold up the bell tower.  Looks like his instructions were spot on!

Our fellow traveler, Andrew, took the perfect photo of us standing in front. He certainly does capture a great image, doesn't he?

Along the back of the tower is the Baptistry.

And if you look closely, you can see St. John the Baptist on the top.

Vincenzo had SO many interesting facts to share with us!   The Romanesque Cathedral was founded in 1064, but it wasn't finished until the late 12th century. 

Only the finest materials were used in its construction, not for religious reasons, but for a political motive.  Pisa was a port city, and as such, wanted to maintain a financial interest.  It was believed that the opulence of the church and the surrounding structures would attract visitors from afar, who would be eager to set up trade, thereby making it a very prosperous city.  

We learned that a large Jewish community lived here, and all were welcomed in Pisa.  There was not a "jewish ghetto" locked at night as was the case in most other nearby cities.  In addition, the Jewish cemetery is located behind a brick wall, just on the edge of the Piazza where the Duomo stands, not far from the Baptistry.  Vincenzo was certain to point it out to us while we stood admiring the beauty of the construction.  He also mentioned that this type of acceptance by the community was unusual in this area of Italy. 

Just to the left of the Duomo, a long structure stands adjacent that is filled with amazing artwork going back centuries in time. On the roof stands this 3D design. 

Once inside, one cannot not miss the full sized Frescoes from the 13th century that adorn the walls.  Upon first look, I had thought that the colors had faded due to exposure and age.  However, Vincenzo informed us that a German artillery shell hit the roof of this building on July 6, 1944, resulting in an inferno that lasted three days.  It destroyed much of the artwork in addition to many of the sarcophagus burials in the floor of the building. 

Many of the paintings lost their brilliant  colors, but they have been painstakingly undergoing renovations for many years. 

Vincenzo pointed out this fresco of the universe painted in the 14th century by Pietro di Puccio da Orvieto. Earth is at its center with numerous concentric circles emanating outwards.  The signs of the Zodiac can be seen on larger ring, towards the middle of the fresco,  that is dark brown in color. 

On the lower left sits St. Augustine, and on the lower right stands St. Thomas Aquinas.  At the top is the almighty creator, holding the sphere in his hands. So much symbolism, and an amazing amount of detail, don't you think?  I appreciated Vincenzo taking the time to point out certain features of these frescoes, with an explanation so that we could better understand just what we were admiring. 

The frescoes line the exterior walls of this rectangular wing of the Duomo.  Nearly back to where we entered, this fresco was painted in the late 1300s by Buonamico Buffalmacco.  It is part of a panel, with Just a quick synopsis: Jesus and his mother are sitting in the oval rings at the top with angels blowing trumpets beneath them.  As you can well imagine, there is a wealth of symbolism in this fresco, and it is an interesting perspective into the mindset of painters and their intended audience during that time period. 

Preservationists are fortunate to have been able to reveal some of the original beauty, although much of the brilliance will be forever lost due to the unfortunate destruction. 

Having gone full circle through the camposanto,  we walked along the lawn to the entrance to the Duomo.  Upon entering the doors, we were greeted with  a brilliant interior.  Looking up, I admired the wooden ceiling that is painted and highlighted in gold leaf.  Vincenzo mentioned that Eighty one kilos of gold was used in the enhancement. 

Much to my surprise, we learned that this church holds yet another incorruptible, Saint Renaldi. (That's three for this trip) His body lays at the base of a special altar to the right of the main altar. I passed on photographing it. 

After viewing the special memorial to the saint, we turned and walked to the middle of the church to admire the main altar. 

An ornately carved pulpit stands along the left hand side, depicting scenes from the Bible. 

It was created by Giovanni Pisano and completed in 1310.  Unfortunately, a fire broke out in the cathedral, and although this famous piece survived, it was dismantled until 1926 when it was reassembled and placed in the location where it now stands. 

Vincenzo had explained prior to our entering the cathedral, that artists in the original time period, used this type of medium to visually explain the scriptures as most people did not read.  The top panels are sculpted with episodes of the life of Christ, including the Nativity and the Adoration of the Shepherds. 

Pillars in the back represent the four Cardinal virtues.

But you might be wondering why the front pillars are not carved.  Vincenzo explained that these were donated by Mussolini to replace damaged pillars, and thereby placed in plain view (rather than in the back), so the populace would know that he was responsible for the restoration.  The surviving, ornately carved pillars can be seen towards the back, but with all of the scaffolding surrounding it (due to a new restoration project), we had to be satisfied with this view. 

At this point, our tour was over, and we were granted free time to get out and explore Pisa.  It's not very large, so we headed to a cafe and enjoyed a caprese salad for lunch.  It was delicious....light and refreshing and flavorful. 

We then headed to the local Gelateria, where I enjoyed a dark chocolate and nutella gelato.  Perfect for a warm day and absolutely delectable!

Marty wanted a few more photos prior to our leaving, so here we are:

It appears that the bell tower can't make up its mind as to whether or not it is leaning. 

And, in this photo below, I was amused by the tree on the right, which actually leans at just about the same pitch as the tower. 

By now it was time to leave this famous city, so we once again boarded the little train to lead us back to the bus. My advice:  don't sit in the back seat!  It reminded me of a wooden amusement ride from when I was a kid.  Every bump had me flying up off my seat.  Fun for a kid.....a challenge for me!

We were back at our hotel by 3:00 and had just about an hour to relax before heading out, again, to a local farm where we could try our hand at cooking a typical Italian meal. 

The setting was ideal.

A quick tour of the farm revealed some happy chickens

lovely floral gardens

lemons.....lots of them!

tomatoes

and several varieties of herbs

as well as white and red grapes. 

It was easy to see how this farm could make claim to using all local ingredients in their food. 

We were led to an outdoor, covered area, where, within short time, we were set to chopping tomatoes for Bruschetta as well as potatoes, carrots, zucchini, cabbage and onions for a Tuscan soup. 

We were then given pasta dough to press through a machine to make tagliatelle. 

And, as an extra treat,  were given a ball of dough to roll into a tube for biscotti for dessert. 

As our food was cooking, we were led into a large room with set tables, for us to sit, relax, enjoy some wine and charcuterie and wait for the results of our hard work. 

And, there were some extra courses thrown in there as well.  It seems that Italians have a LOT of courses when they eat dinner.  Not that I'm complaining. 

The hosts were definitely entertaining, the food was excellent, and the conversations were quite lively. 

Filled with food and vino, we all managed to make our way to the bus for the short ride back to the hotel.  

Our guide, JoAnn, had Italian music playing on our ride for us to sing along to.  And we joined voices to sing Volare and That's Amore, probably the only two Italian like songs that we know! 

I can't speak for everyone, but I can attest to the fact that those of us in the back of the bus were having a grand time! 

Now...off to bed. We have an early morning!

Until next time....

Sauntering Through Siena

Ok, so maybe the term "sauntering" doesn't exactly describe our adventures in Siena today.  Some might say "struggling, as the town has some pretty steep inclines, but our guide, Annalisa, made every attempt to limit any extreme gradients as she led us through this charming walled town.

Our first stop was the Basilica of San Domenico, which you can see on left side of the above photo.   Devoted to St. Catherine, it stands on the top of a hill where it has stood since 1125.  As Annalise explained, its primary significance in the town is to act as a shrine to St. Catherine.  

She was instrumental in convincing the Pope to move the papacy from France back to Rome, and she actually died in Rome.  Her body is buried there, but her head is enshrined in alcove in this church. 

The artwork is insignificant according to Annalise, but a couple caught my attention.

There was also this beautiful shrine to Mary.

We wove our way up and down through the narrow streets,  and it was easy to see why this city is a favorite of many. 

Annalise was sure to point out a window shop that featured a special cookie that is a specialty of Siena.  It is made with almond paste and sugar, and I can attest that it was tender and delectable, as you know I couldn't resist the temptation of trying one. 

Popping around a corner, and this view was suddenly in front.  Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Annalise explained in detail that the city was broken up into seventeen different districts, each with its own mascot and flag.  The light shown in a previous picture represented the district of the goose.  Since 1492, Siena has hosted a Palio, which is a horse race in the center piazza, that is represented by each of the seventeen districts.  They take this race very seriously, and in July and August, the Piazza Campo is packed with the families of the various districts as they cheer on the horse who will race for their honor. 

Annalise chose to show us the Rhinoceros District, also associated with the Forest as an emblem.

Each of these districts has its own church, and here you can see a metal rhinoceros adorning the gate to a special door designated strictly for entrance of the horse.  After all, the horse apparently needs to be blessed before the event begins.

Annalise had secured entry for us on this beautiful Sunday, so that she could give us an idea of what these churches look like in the interior.  Walking into the vestibule, she pointed out that this garment worn by a priest, dated back to the year 500. 

These others were from 1400.

The interior of the church was stunning with this magnificent tabernacle adorning the altar. 

Annalise explained that during the ceremony, the side door (with the gate) is opened, the horse walks in, and the priest gives the special blessing.  She also noted that, sometimes, the horse blesses the church (if you get what I mean.)

Walking downstairs, there are banners from past years that have been preserved for display.  Each is unique in its own way, with fine embroidery.  Each one shows some devotion to the Virgin Mary who is usually highlighted at the top. 

Behind glass there are costumes from past riders

And, on nearly item there was either a leaf of some sort (representing the forest), or a rhinoceros. 

We then watched a video of the horse from the Forest District who won the title of winner in 2019.  He had thrown his rider off half way through the race, but kept running furiously, beating out the front horse (who still had his rider), by less than a nose. It was a photo finish.  And the excitement of the win was extremely entertaining to watch.  No worries....we were assured that the jockey was not harmed during his fall. 

Now that we knew the story of the Palio, it was time to once again maneuver the streets to the Piazza Campo.  We passed the magnificent Duomo.

Of course, Marty needed a selfie.

It was way too large in structure to get a decent phot in its entirety.

Then we made our way down to the Piazza Campo. It had originally been a Roman Forum, but it was converted into a piazza, which is oval, and this is where the horses run the race, along the perimeter of the center, along the walkways, just inside the walls of the buildings.

Just behind that building, we stumbled upon a delightful restaurant for lunch that offered a magnificent view. (If you look past the parked motorcycles.) 

We were on a pretty strict time schedule, so we quickly finished, then headed back to the piazza to meet up with our group.

Joanna led us out of the walls of the city to the bus, and by 3:00 we were on the road and back to our hotel at 4:30.  Since the remaining days are sure to be quite busy, we decided once again to take the funicolar up to the top of Montecatini Alto.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner outside, then took in the views of the lower town before embarking for the ride down. Marty insisted on us standing in the front for the best view, which he did film for a future Yinzerfishing episode. 

You have to admit...it certainly is breathtakingly beautiful.  The perfect ending to a delightful day. 

Until next time....