Tuscan Travels to Pisa, Florence and More...

Note: These adventures were in the Summer of 2019 before the global pandemic.

As mentioned on a previous post about the magicial land that was Siena, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting a few cities in central Italy. Last summer I visited Pisa, Florence, Siena and San Gimignano (a place which, as gamers will recall, features in THAT Assassin’s Creed). Tuscany was more beautiful than I was expecting with it’s endless rolling hills, traditional architecture and great wine. Tuscany truly is the capital of elegance in Italy. Tuscany, or as the Italians call it, Toscana, is considered to be the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance in addition to being the region which invented the modern Italian language. Most of Italy’s most well respected history, art and literature can trace its roots back to this region. It hosts the Uffizi Art Gallery, Italy’s most famous gallery which hosts most of the classic paintings, as well as having as many as 7 world heritage sites. Tuscany is also famous for a variety of vineyards and producers of wine in rural parts such as Chianti.

Florence was busy with tourists but it was such an incredible place to see, the Cathedral is one of the best I have seen in Italy, it is so unique. The beautiful block colours really make the cathedrals and buildings in the centre of Florence really stand out in an amazing way. There’s so much to see from the aforementioned Uffizi, to Pitti Palace, the Galleria dell’Accademia where you can see the famous statue of David by Michelangelo. The main square is called Piazza della Signoria and it really is a fabulous hub for people watching and soaking up the culture. Florence is also famous for fiorentina, a steak as big as your face to describe it quite bluntly. It is of course delicious. There are other dishes that are worth mentioning to try when you go to Florence or any part of Tuscany to be honest. Ribollita, was one of my favourites a speciality soup from Tuscany made from bread, beans and vegetables. It’s typically a leftover soup but its hearty and packed with many delicious flavours. I also tried Lardo di Colonnata which is a finely sliced salumi usually eaten with bruschetta. A must try in the region. Our base was Siena so we took the train over, if you are planning a short or day trip I highly recommend booking museum tickets and things in advance to avoid disappointment.

Photo credit:

@sergeiwingman

photo credit: @paulpostema

Pisa was quite small but this was to be expected. I obviously saw the leaning tower of Pisa, although I didn’t do the “pushing” photo. I also walked around the city centre and saw the rest of what Pisa had to offer although, the weather was terrible and torrential rain had us seeking shelter in any indoor bars and shops we could find. Despite it being July when I went to Tuscany the weather in general was not perfect, this summer there were frequent storms every other night, random gusts of wind and downpours all juxtaposing the intense heat that came before and after such occurrences. Pisa is a small but charming city and although I only went there for a day I would like to come back and explore more of what Pisa has to offer. We walked through the centre and got the general vibe for the city but honestly, we just went for the tower. Now I’ve ticked it off my list I feel impatient to go back and discover some of the more hidden gems in Pisa.

San Gimignano was an incredible yet quaint medieval city. There were the classic characteristics, small winding paths which lead to peaceful mini piazza’s were people leisurely sat outside having lunch or drinking coffee. Ancient towers filled with history of the town and of course local delicacies (mostly boar meat and special cheeses). We went to the local museum which as filled with a lot of interesting information about the town and quite a few things to look at. We also sat down for some amazing food one of the restaurants. Finally when we finished we decided to climb the bell tower which offered stunning views of the town and the vast hills below and beyond. While it was a pretty nauseating journey to get up there, (we didn’t take a car we took public transportation), I can’t recommend this town enough. It’s splendid place full of history, friendly locals and genuinely delicious food! Overall there is still so much more of Tuscany to explore and I am eager for part 2 of this travel to begin. I think that if you want to come and enjoy Italy this is one of the first places you need to see. There’s so much to discover, a land full of the promise of adventures.

@jonko