Pisa in one Day

Pisa is a jewel of Tuscany and one made famous to many foreign travellers for its Leaning Tower, however this beautiful city has much more to offer the traveller than a classic tourist destination, whether it is getting lost in the many wondrous streets or taking in the magnificent history.
Whether you arrive by plane (Pisa�s airport is the biggest in Tuscany) or train, the centrally located railway station is a perfect starting point to begin your travels around the city centre of Pisa.
Taking the train station as a starting point we follow the Viale Gramsci until we arrive at Corso Italia; the renowned shopping street in Pisa.  Visitors can enjoy browsing or shopping for stylish Italian fashion, or sit down, relax and have a coffee in one of the many cafes; delight in the atmosphere and hussle and bussle on one of Pisa�s busy streets.

Once refreshed visitors can continue down Corso Italia until they get to Ponte di Mezzo on the river Arno; one of the emblematic places in the city, made famous for the annual festival (which takes place on the last Saturday in June) where the two neighbourhoods divided by the river Arno compete in a tournament. The tradition la Batalla del Puente started in the 1200 AD and involves rival teams pushing a long cart while trying to get on the bridge.

After crossing the bridge continue along Borgo Stretto, another street well known for its wide variety of couture shops and stylish bars: which as you can guess from its name, is a medieval alley with arcades and narrow streets, perfect for walking browsing and window shopping. At the end of Borgo Stretto turn left on Via Dini, to reach the beautiful Piazza dei Cavalieri.

This square was the ancient centre of the city, and is now home ancient artifacts with a wonderful historical value and interest: besides the Knights Palace, home of the Scuola Normale Superiore (one of the most prestigious universities in Italy) in the square there is also the Palazzo dell'Orologio which is linked to a curious legend: The Palazzo was built on the remains of the "Tower of Fame" (tower of hunger) famous as being the place of imprisonment of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca. As narrated by the "Divine Comedy", Count Ugolino was imprisoned in the Tower where he starved himself to death with his children and grandchildren, and near the end of his agony, children begged him to eat them and the Count, and the crazy prisoner, fed on their descendants.
Passing under the arch of the Palazzo dell'Orologio, turn right on Via Santa Maria, home to several universities, and then down to the very famous Piazza dei Miracoli.

Piazza dei Miracoli
This complex momument includes the Duomo (the door that connects many of decorative elements including a lizard, is considered by all the "Pisan" the charm of the city and is also thought to bring good luck to those who touch it), the impressive baptistery, the monumental cemetery and the famous Tower of Pisa, which owes its notorious inclination to land subsidence occurred during the start of construction.

Santa Maria della Spina
To conclude your daytrip you can go walk back along Via Santa Maria and you will be heading back towards the Arno, from the other side of the river you can admire the unique profile of the church of Santa Maria della Spina, the origin of the name is due to fact that in ancient church retained a thorn believed to have belonged to the crown of Christ.

We walked back along the banks of the Arno towards the Ponte di Mezzo, but just before the bridge turn left into Via San Frediano, then pass the Law School, where you will find the Piazza Dante , one of the favourite venues of college students for its bars and benches in the shade. This place is the ideal spot to get lost in the narrow streets of the medieval town, with plenty of restaurants and shops offering typical Tuscan cuisine; while The Piazza delle Vettovaglie, which hosts a popular fruit and veg market in the day transforms into a wondrous sight at night, and it has to be seen to be believed!!

The Beaches of Tuscany

Dear Friends,

The holidays are fast approaching and many of the letters I receive often ask me about the beaches of Tuscany. This article is dedicated to help inform you about all the most important Tuscan beaches.

Before we get to it, I would just like to mention that if you only have a week or less to spend in Tuscany, I advise against spending time on the beaches. I�m not trying to say they are not beautiful, they are, but all of Tuscany offers so many unique and wonderful places, that it would be a waste of time spending time on a beach while there are so many sights waiting to be discovered. Alright, now that we have this covered, let�s talk about the beaches.

The beaches in Tuscany are considered the cleanest in all of Italiy and regularly win awards stating this fact. Every year most beaches also earn the �Blue Flag�, a label, awarded to eco-friendly beaches all around the world.

In northern Tuscany, an area where our Russian customers like to shop or moor their yachts, the beaches of Forte Dei Marmi, Camaiore and Viareggio can be found. This area is also famous for being an Italian VIP summer resort in the 80s and 90s, with very long beaches that feature the beautiful Appennine mountains in the background.

At the heart of Tuscany one can find the beaches of Castagneto Carducci, San Vincenzo and Livorno, an area that is considered especially beautiful because of the vegetation that reaches the sea. Further there are the beaches of Castiglion de la Pescaia and Follonica, which are revered amongst the habitants of Siena and feature rocky beachses as well as sandy beaches full of children.

Finally, in southern Tuscany one can find the most beautiful beaches on the islands of Elba, Giglio and Giannutri as well as the beach of Monte Argentario.

We hope that this little guide will help you plan your future summer trips to the beaches of Tuscany.

Kind regards,
George

Routes around Tuscany (North)

Dear Friends,

Today I�m publishing a recommended route for those visiting the North of Tuscany.

 

Day 1- Lucca and Pisa. Obviously in Pisa you can�t miss the Leaning Tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli (�Square of miracles�), monuments considered to be some of the great wonders of the world. Besides the splendid Square of Miacles, Pisa does not have a huge amount to show visitors so you can easily devote a morning to Pisa and the afternoon to Lucca. Lucca is an enchanting city. I suggest a walk around the city�s great walls and a visit to the main square. 

I don�t have any particular restaurants to recommend to you in Pisa but in Lucca I know one very good one called la Bocca di San Antonio in the city centre on Via della Cervia n3.


Day 2. Vinci and Firenze

Vinciis the birthtown of the famous Leonardo da Vinci and this little town does not have a particular interest but it does have a museum where many of the Master�s works and drawings are kept.

Making the most of the nearness to Florence, in the afternoon you can go to the city and start to savour it in all it�s splendor. For dinner in Florence I highly recommend you try the restaurant Finisterrae(open the link for more info) found in Santa Croce square. It is a Mediterranean restaurant, exquisitely decorated with a delightful internal terrace. You can enjoy classic and innovative Mediterranean dishes but also excellent pizzas. 

Day 3- Florence

Florence deserves at the very least a whole day, it is a city with so many things to see but we will follow up with another article covering those sites you really cannot miss.

To eat I suggest you go to Trattoria da Mario, a true paradise for the taste buds with a menu based on Tuscan home cooking and the freshest ingredients.  

Below you will find Google Maps for the routes discussed:

Day 1- Lucca and Pisa

View Larger Map

 

Day 2- Vinci and Florence

View Larger Map

Have a good trip! As always feel free to ask any questions or share your thoughts in the comments.

Routes around Tuscan towns

Since many of you have been asking for articles on the towns in Tuscany we are going to start a section of the blog focusing on routes to various Tuscan towns that can be made in a single day.

Today we will talk about the following route:
Siena - San Gimignano - Monteriggioni

This route is undoubtedly one of the most appealing of those that can be made in one day.

Starting in Siena and parking in the "Stadio di Siena" or in "Piazza del Mercato" you will find yourselves practically in the centre of town and just a 10 minute walk from the beautiful Piazza del Campo, one of the most impressive historical monuments in the city.

Your visit ought to continue towards the Duomo. The Duomo, or Cathedral, is 10 minutes on foot from the Piazza and certainly a place which any visit to Siena should include. It is simply exquisite, and in my opinion, the most beautiful cathedral in Italy after San Pedro. Its beauty is not only saved for its exteriors but its interiors are even more magnificent. Siena was one of the wealthiest cities in the world during the Middle Ages and the people wanted the cathedral to be the most beautiful in the world. Inside the cathedral you will find stunning mosaics and works of art by the great artists from different eras.

Once you�ve finished in the cathedral I recommend a walk around the centre, strolling its especially narrow and charming streets, and also two very quick visits to the Accademia Chigiana (Siena�s Academy of Music) and to Palazzo Salimbeni (the historical headquarters of the oldest bank in the world, Banco Monte dei Paschi di Siena).

This visit to Siena should last around 3 hours, finishing around 12. 30 if you�ve started your day promptly! Now you can head to Monteriggioni. 

 Monteriggioni is an interesting medieval village situated about 15km from Siena and so can be reached very quickly on this route. I suggest you have lunch here as it has a couple of particularly nice restaurants: The first is Bar dell Orso where you can eat a simple but delicious meal of cold cuts, cheese and good wine on the splendid terrace, The other restaurant I recommend is called il Pozzo and is found in Monteriggioni itself in the central square. Il Pozzo is certainly more expensive but a more elegant dining experience where you can enjoy excellent homemade pasta dishes. This restaurant also has a lovely little terrace so you can eat al fresco but in the shade.  

Monteriggioni has a small church which I certainly consider to be worth a visit as its towers and medieval walls are still in perfect condition.

About 3 in the afternoon you should be thinking about leaving Monteriggioni to head to San Gimignano. This little town is well known for its medieval architecture, one of the gems of the region. It has conserved many of the towers which in the Middle Ages belonged to wealthy merchants and families that wanted to show off their power to the rest of the city.

San Gimignano has an interesting cathedral with marvellous frescoes by Ghirlandaio, but even a walk through the city is an experience. In the highest part of town there is a bar with panoramic views where you might want to relax with a glass of wine.

If you leave around 17.30 you will have plenty of time to go back to your accommodation to get ready for an excellent Tuscan dinner� 

I hope you�ve enjoyed this article and have taken away some useful information.

As always, comments are welcome and particularly appreciated if you have something interesting to add regarding the topic discussed.