This is the first town we visited on our day trips, Monteriggioni from the main road. So here we go, the final days of our trip. We picked up Karen on Sunday in Florence and had a great dinner. We headed to the villa and prepared for the next day, day trips in Tuscany. Tuscany is more of a region than an actual location. Tuscany is to us like south Texas. Here is a quick map to let you know where we were throughout the trip and where we were headed. Google maps is awesome. Anyway, Stephen made breakfast the next morning, which side note, is a WAY better idea because it takes him half the time to get ready and by the time we were ready to go, he had breakfast ready. We ate and left. Guys, take note. It really saves time to cook for your women instead of having to wait around for them to feed you AFTER they are done primping. Just FYI.So, our first stop was Monteriggioni. We drove into the town and noted the walled city up on the hill it is known for. We decided to drive up this narrow gravel drive up to the city wall. Scary and once at the top, realized it was a walking trail. It was early, our brains had not gotten up yet. SO, we drove back down and parked. Walked up to this little cafe on the side of the road and decided to get some caffeine before hiking back up the hill. We had Cappuccino and Espresso. It was very yummy. The town, like many of the towns in Italy are all a trip back in time once you step inside the walls of the center of the city. Small towns like this, the city only exists inside these walls. Larger cities like Siena and Florence, the people out grew the center and kept growing outward. Here are a few pics from Monteriggioni.
Group picture at the top of the hill outside the city wall.
Stephen and Karen enjoying their Cappuccino.
View from the top of the hill. Vineyards as far as the eye can see.After we spent some time admiring the city, walking into a small gift shop with a wine tasting table set up in the basement and deciding it was a little early for a wine tasting, we headed back down the hill on to another town. The best thing about this town was it was our first experience with a small town. We were not expecting the inside of the wall to be inhabited. (don't ask me why). We thought of it as some sort of La Bahia or Goliad or something. Like a historical site. It was hysterical to all of us to walk in and find that it was completely inhabited by around 200 + people. Silly Americans, we are so narrow minded.
Our next stop was Colle di Val d' Elsa. This town was known for something we had read up on and were all very curious about. It has a church in it that supposedly has one of the nails from the cross of Jesus Christ's Crucifixion. It is kept in a marble vault and locked using four different locks with four separate keys kept by four different citizens as to keep it safe. It is only brought out once a year during a festival. After we arrived, we found parking and learned that most of the little towns are on a hill or multiple hills that require a LOT of walking and climbing. Needless to say we were working off the pasta. After a long walk up a steep road, we made it to the Cathedral di San Saeraore. We had hoped to see the nail through bullet proof Plexiglas or something, but to no avail, it was unavailable for viewing. We made our decent and found an elevator hanging out on the outside of the hill. After we got out, we saw the location where we chose to go left and had we gone right, we would have walked right into the elevator to take us up. We had lots of jokes on the way to the car about the little worm in the wall on the movie "Labyrinth". If you know you know, if you don't, sorry. Here are the photos from d' Elsa (as we called it, that name is TOO long)
The location of the nail from Jesus' cross.
The elevator in the side of a hill. It really did look odd, almost like something out of a James Bond movie.
The infamous "fork in the road". The dark door, just out of sight on the right is the door that takes you into the elevator. Notice the plaque on the wall just next to it. It is clearly labeled "Lift". Didn't see it and we went left and walked about another 15 minutes uphill. Oh well.Before getting in the car, we noticed it was getting past our lunch time and decided to get a bite on the go. Sandwiches, which were awesome. We made our way to San Gimignano. We parked and waited a few minutes for a shuttle to take us to the center of the city. As the day progressed, we were getting to larger and larger towns. There were a ton of shops to see. We would walk and stop and walk and stop and so on. We headed towards the city center to see the Basillica Santa Maria Assanta. There is a fresco by Bartolo there depicting Good and Evil and a lot of frames depicting the life of Jesus. This was an enjoyable experience, the paintings were very interesting to look at not just technically, but the content was neat. We were playing name that story from the Bible and some were hard to name. Old Testament was on one wall and the Life of Jesus was on another. We stopped to have Gelato at "Italy's Best Gelataria" as voted in 2005, 2006 and 2007, "Pluripremiata Gelateria". It was good. Then we headed back to the car. We had thought to go to Sienna next, but the day had gotten away from us. We chose to drive to San Rocco a Pilli to the Coop market, get a few more groceries for breakfast ( we were running low) and eat at the pizza place Stephen and I went to our first night at the Villa. It was a nice dinner and we headed home to rest up for the next day in Florence and Siena.
The front of the Basillica. Notice what we thought was probably a May Pole.
The Gelateria that was Italy's best.
Stephen and I on the road around the city. You can see how high up it was. All cities were built on hills. You can see how much time you would have as an advantage if you were being attacked by a neighboring country or town.We prepared to head to Florence the next day so I could see the Duomo and then on to Siena
(which all the books suggested to see Siena at night ). We got up, ate and got on the road. It took about 45 minutes to get to Florence and park. We headed straight to the Duomo to see the inside of the cathedral. Once we got a good look, and smirked at the women and especially men who had to buy and then cover themselves with light blue fabric to cover their exposed arms and legs, we headed outside towards the line to walk up the dome to the very top of the Cathedral. 375 feet up in the air and 439 steps to get there. Let me just say, it was amazing. I am so glad I got to do this. Not to go into the whole lesson, Brunelleschi designed and created this dome using the Pantheon in Rome as his muse. He was the first to design an Octagon dome in history and the first to do it with out the use of support systems or scaffolding from the ground floor. Pretty much he is a genius. I think he is my favorite. Check out more on the Basillica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Here are some pretty awesome pics. We were really high.
: )
Front of the Basillica.
Interior shot of the fresco's on Brunelleschi's Duomo. Notice the rails right in front of the circular windows and the rails right above those. Oh yeah, we were up there.
Pardon my behind, but this is the only picture we have of the interior of the corridor leading up to the top of the dome. I wanted you to see the small amount of space, the tiny window to let in light and all of the ridiculous graffiti. It was out of control. The exterior of the dome was even tagged up. So sad.
A visual of the interior of the the Duomo for those of you who are mathematically challenged and 375 feet doesn't compute to you. Those little dots ...those are people. We were REALLY high up.
Stephen and I at the top of the Duomo, exterior.
View of Florence from the highest point in the city.
The only graffiti that I approved of, because man is it true.I had planned on finishing this post with the rest of this day in Sienna and then our day in Assisi and then our day in Pisa and Cinque Terra, but as you can tell, there is no way. So, I will post that info in the next two or three days. I cannot express how much of a dream come true this trip was for me. I realized the other day that I had said in the same breathe that I wanted to go to Maine one day and then Italy. I know, I know, why Maine? Someone had just returned from there and we were having a conversation about places we wanted to go. Anyway, last summer I went to Maine and had some lobster and this summer, I was in Italy at the top of the place I have always wanted to see. Crazy. Amazing. Thanks Karen. You are the reason for both.
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