Our excursion today was eagerly anticipated as I knew a bit about these famous Italian cities and was excited to see the reality and learn lots more!
Our group size was over 20 and a regular size tour bus...from our port in Livorno it was about 30 minutes to reach the city of Pisa and of course it was exciting to see from a distance the top of the Pisa Tower.
Our tour guide lived in Florence and was excellent and he appreciated during my good questions and commented multiple times how he wished he had in all his tours such great questions but he would also need an hour to fully answer them, however his condensed answers were very helpful and always made it more meaningful and personal...this guided bus and extensive walking tour was superb!
We were only allowed about 45 mins in Pisa and of course the tower was very popular and the grounds surrounding it were spotless and green as can be. I was impressed with this ancient engineering marvel and more impressed how they can keep it from leaning too far to it's demise.
I had another passenger join me and challenged her a race to the top as others on our tour gave up joining after seeing the long que and didn't wanna risk being late for the bus to Florence.
However it seemed to me there would be much more regret from coming all this way to see Pisa and the tower and not climbing the 250 winding marble spiral to the top? So I bought tickets at the crazy 20-Euros and away we went. Although you kinda feel a bit tilted its a easy climb with the stair risers consistent and nice wide treads. A beautiful view from the top of the castle like church and grounds and red clay roof tops of the surrounding houses and shops and very grateful I made the effort...late or not!
The next hour down the highway to Florence was scenic and apparently the finished paper manufacturing business is a large industry in this city of under 500K residents, and only next to tourism.
The historic part of Florence exisits for tourists and it is very facinating to see such a vast representation of all renaissance art forms from the masters. It seems everyone started out or ended up in Florence to create and develop their craft and each incredible work inspired more of the same by others, and each time raising the bar to incredible heights!
To see these creations up front and personal like the 20-ft David by Michelangelo and to recognize the detail and inspiration of this life like depiction was surreal. The incredible architectural feat in the Brunelleschi double dome atop the second largest basilica int the world, Giotti's Bell Tower, Palazza Vecchio, Santa Maria Cathedral, and the elegant old Ponte Vecchio bridge...just to name a few, they are all captured in this very unique historic city centre and all within easy walking distance!
Now interestingly in Canada when buildings reach a hundred years or more, they can become a historic site, while most of historic Florence originates to the 14th and 15th century...kinda impossible to relate to?
What great moments over this past week in Italy and each of the five port cities were loaded with historical and cultural treasure...our next ports will take us to Southern France and Monaco among the sea days, before concluding in Barcelona..a very fond farewell to Italy!
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