Welcome to the first day of our tour in Tuscany, Italy! After a long day of flying and a fitful night of sleep, we wake up in beautiful Montecatini. Our tour group had already departed for a day in Lucca but we opted to sleep in a bit and make our way to Pisa by train instead. Click any of the pictures below to view a slide show.
-
- The balcony view from our hotel room in Montecatini.
-
- Here is a panorama of our view from our hotel room balcony in Montecatini.
-
- Walking in Montecatini
-
- We took a walk around Montecatini while waiting for our train to Pisa. I saw this church tower and snapped a picture of it.
-
- Through this entryway, no gypsies shall pass. You are safe inside the piazza. However, once you step outside, prepare to be accosted…
-
- Everyone makes silly poses with the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the background. We were no different.
-
- The leaning Tower of Pisa
-
- The (straightened) Tower of Pisa
-
- I took a panorama at the base of the tower so you can see how much it actually leans (quite a bit).
-
- Statues from inside the Tower of Pisa that are now on display in the nearby museum.
-
- Here are some statues that used to be in the Tower of Pisa that are now on display in the museum.
-
- Here is a view of the Tower of Pisa from the garden area in the nearby museum. It was much more peaceful and way less crowded to enjoy the views from here.
-
- Of all the artwork in the Pisa museum, this is the one we stared at for the longest. The depictions of what happens to you in Hell are rather interesting.
-
- Kim posing in the Pisa duomo
-
- The ceiling of the Pisa duomo
-
- Pisa Cathedral (duomo) altar.
-
- Sculpture inside the Pisa Duomo
-
- Kim posing in front of the Pisa duomo baptistery
-
- Kim is tired after a fun day in Pisa
-
- Passing the other funicular on the way up to Montecatini Alto
-
- Panorama from Montecatini Alto
-
- The restaurants of Montecatini Alto
-
- She had spaghetti carbonara and I had the 4 cheese ravioli.
-
- View from Montecatini Alto
-
- We rode the verinicular to Montecatini Alto for dinner. It was lovely up there with many nice restaurants to choose from and a great view!
We are traveling with a Go Ahead tour called “Walking Tuscany”. The tour winds through Tuscany with stops in Florence, Siena, Montepulciano, and ending up in Rome. Our first three nights are in Montecatini, a beautiful village just outside of Florence.
Because we had complications with our flights and our transfer to the hotel, we were exhausted when we arrived and opted to sleep in a bit the first morning which meant we would miss the optional tour to Lucca. Instead, we walked around Montecatini and then caught a local train to Pisa to check out the Piazza dei Miracoli and the leaning tower of Pisa.
The piazza is just a short walk from the train station, but boy is it a touristy place. We got there early though so the crowds weren’t too bad. After visiting the sites, we had a nice pizza lunch at a nearby ristorante and then caught the train back to Montecatini.
For dinner, we ascended the funicular to Montecatini Alto for dinner. It was lovely up there in the little square with delightful restaurants everywhere. The views up there of the valley below were also amazing. Afterwards, we walked back to our hotel to turn in for the night. Tomorrow we head back to Florence to check out the world famous duomo there!