Tuscany
Today we landed in Florence; technically the port of Livorno. The port is very industrial and not an attractive site out the window. Not too big a concern as we were off the boat most of the day. This stop had options to see Florence, Pisa, Lucca, and Sienna. There’s far too much to see in just one day. Brian and I struggled with which excursion to do today. In the end, we opted to skip Florence because we knew it was too large to see in 10-hours and it would be a huge tourist destination. Instead we opted for Sienna and San Gimignano. We had looked into Sienna as a travel destination before we booked the cruise and new it would be interesting. I didn’t think I’d ever heard of San Gimignano.
The drive to Sienna was 2-hours long. We had a good guide but it was still difficult. Sienna was a mix of history and modern day. The entrance to the city has a relatively small church, San Dominco, which houses the skull of St. Catherine; who was born in Sienna. Rome kept the body to commemorate the work that she did to bring the Pope back from France to make his home in Rome again. The entrance to the city looked small and very historical in comparison to the city found around the corner. We learned about the history of Sienna and that the first public bank of that era was started in Sienna. We also saw the Duomo di Sienna. It had beautiful mosaic floors and 4 statues by Michelangelo. The Duomo is huge and includes the Piccolomini Library which included frescos and choir books painted by the Umbrian Bernardino di betto, called Pinturicchio.
Outside the Duomo was the Piazza Del Mercato where the Palio Di Siena is held twice a year. The famous horse race is held around the edge of the piazza. The city is separated into contrada’s (districts) which each have their own colors and animals. The race runs three laps and lasts no longer than 90-seconds.
The city is actually quite large and is also bustling with shops and restaurants. It seemed to be a favorite spot for locals and the guide said that it was known for expensive shopping. We didn’t take any time to shop but did take off on our own for lunch. My plan was to find one of the smaller restaurants we had passed when we were on the tour. It had the best smell and quite a few locals hanging out. Instead we got lost and ended up eating pizza on the Piazza Del Mercato. The pizza was surprisingly good considering it was in the middle of tourist central. It really makes me wonder what we might have had off the beaten path.
Next we were on to San Gimignano. I said earlier that I didn’t think I had ever heard of it but it turns out I had been buying a wine from there at the grocery store. They make inexpensive, light white wines. We did have a little time to shop as the town is very small and the only real sights are the Piazza Del Duomo and the Basillica S. Maria Assunta. We did make time to get some of the “world’s best gelatoâ€. I couldn’t decide which I wanted so I got lemoncello, pistachio, and on a recommendation from the guide, gorgonzola.
On the way out, Brian and I were waiting for somebody from our group to come by to take our photo on the wall. The couple that we saw pass was a younger couple like us. They were from Houston and were also celebrating their 10th year anniversary. We hope to catch up with them more. It was an excellent day.