Today, our plan was to visit several hilltop Tuscan villages, but when we discovered that the Piaggio Vespa museum was only thirty minutes from our hotel we changed our plans. It turned out to be a very worthwhile detour.
Located in the industrial town of Pontedera not far from Pisa, the Piaggio Museum (http://www.museopiaggio.it/en/museum.html) contains several models of the famous scooter spanning the years, as well as some of the lesser known (for us) small cars and utility trucks they produced, including one of their stainless steel rail cars as seen below.
Among the various models spanning the years along there are some whimsical creations by artists on display in the former factory and tool shed.
I know, the Tuscan hills are calling, but first we must admire these works of Italian art!
Now that's a Vespa for two!
And this is clearly a car for one small Italian.
Well, that was fun. Now we are off to Siena via Volterra, a medieval hilltop walled city. Yes, these ancient cities are all built a top hills, steep hills with commanding views of the valley below. Perfect for spotting approaching enemies, not so great for visiting Americans, especially these two who are more accustomed to towns just a few feet above sea level :-). We discovered that the parking lots are never located by the main gate!
The climb up the stairs is always worth it, though. Especially when there's a well placed gelateria located just inside the town walls.
The Romans left their mark in Volterra, an amphitheater built into the hillside below the medieval wall.
And a common sight in these hilltop villages, narrow side streets and archways leading to more stairs. No wonder everyone is so thin in these parts!
When we left Volterra for Siena, we had planned on visiting San Gimigano, but we needed to press on. We did stop, however, to admire the city from a distance.
As well as the Tuscan landscape.
Siena is a sprawling metropolis surrounding the old city. Reaching the old city is easy; finding parking is more of a challenge. You are not permitted to drive into the walled city as it is a limited traffic zone, and apparently fines can be hefty. Circling the city, we found free street parking and after a ten minute walk we found ourselves inside the town walls.
No straight lines or grid patterns here; the streets meander and curve around, following the circular shape of the city, yet all seem to lead to the center square.
From the narrow canyons of the city streets you emerge into the large, oval town square, piazza del campo, ringed by cafés and restaurants.
Just two days prior to our visit, the horse race, il Palio, was held, remnants of the dirt track which they lay around the perimeter of the piazza fascinates Wayne.
This is a commanding piazza sloping towards the Palazzo del Comune, the 14th century town hall with its 289 ft tower, il Torre del Mangia.
These flags, which were flying on the town hall and in the neighborhood behind it, celebrate the winning horse and jockey of the horse race. Their prize? A standard bearing the effigy of the Virgin, the city's protectress, which is proudly displayed in the neighborhood chapel.
They take this horse race very seriously.
Not far from the piazza is the duomo, the 13th century cathedral. Very ornate, in white, pink, and black marble, it resembles a large Italian pastry.
The shadows were getting longer as dinner hour was approaching. We found a small restaurant on a steep side street with some tables outside.
We enjoyed resting our feet and filling our bellies with pasta and salad, and a carafe of Chianti for me.
Sunset over the Tuscan landscape.
What a great day. Tomorrow we attack Firenze!
Location:Tuscany, Italy
No comments:
Post a Comment