Saturday, October 04, 2008
While it was cloudy and damp at home base, our weather forecast indicated that there would be clear skies just a bit north of here. So, we set our GPS for Pistoia, a lovely city west of Florence. The Saturday market was in full swing (leather boots for 20 euros, anyone?) but it was the setting in the Piazza del Duomo that was really worth seeing. The Della Robbia clan was in full flower in this city and their works adorn the cathedral, churches, and civic buildings throughout the city.
Pisa was the big surprise of the day. The Piazza dei Miracoli was, indeed a glorious vista; as Tom observed, it would have been fabulous even without a leaning tower. It’s a lovely green space, filled with people (like us) laughing and taking goofy pictures of each other holding up or tipping over the famous tower. The duomo is wonderful, the baptistery immense, and other buildings in the piazza combine to provide quite a visual punch.
Because we had a little extra time, we decided to re-visit a favorite city, Lucca. After doing so, it’s hard to imagine we might have skipped it. The lovely, tree-framed Piazza Napoleon, the Piazza Amfiteatro, built upon the remains of the Roman amphitheater, and the remarkable park-lined walk atop the walls all make for a very special experience.
Hope you all had as lovely a Saturday as we did.
Mel and Tom
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