For the second year in a row, we spent a couple of weeks in March in Italy, a country we love and have visited often.It had been Naples, Puglia, Matera and the Amalfi Coast in 2023.This year we headed north to revisit Tuscany and the lakes; in fact, it had been as long as 20 years since we’d been in Lake Garda.Would it have changed much? We expected so!

I’m still getting the hang of posting on this Forum and this is a first trip report so for ease and quickness, I decided to post the links to where I’ve already written it up with photos, on my Wordpress site .I hope this is ok to do.

We drove around 1,200 miles over 13 days and given we are now mid/late 60s I think we needed another holiday when we got home, to recover! Age doesn’t come alone.But it was so worth it, though the weather this time didn’t play ball quite as we hoped given the glorious warmth and sunshine we’d enjoyed in March 2023.But we were much further north this time of course.

I’ve posted the map showing our route and stops, then the outline of where we went each day with the links to the photos and write up.Warning - if something can be said in ten words I’ll use a hundred.i.e I do go on a bit! There’s a bit of duplication at the start too but if I keep footering about with it all, I’ll never get it posted.So, here goes…

https://annestravelsandhikes.com/202...road-trip-map/

Trip Report flag added

Along for the ride...

Some of my favourite places! I enjoyed reading your blog.

Good to see you on Fodors as well, scotlandmac. Bookmarking, Lake Garda and Verona are notable misses from our travels to Italy.

Oops, didn't even notice the link. I'm off to check it out.

I didn't have time to read your entire report yet but I did read about Bergamo and Verona as we plan on visiting there next May. Other places on your itinerary, too, but right now I'm most interested in Bergamo and Verona, which both look beautiful but different from each other. We plan to visit Bergamo as a daytrip from Milan, and we will spend 2 nights in Verona. Love your photos!

Cappella Colleoni Bergamo by Anne C, on Flickr

Days1/2 - Bergamo( a gem!)

Took off from a very quiet Edinburgh airport at 2.30pm with a surprisingly short flight of 2hrs 15 to Bergamo Orio.We had some great views over the Alps, always a thrill to see…

20240320_161338 by Anne C, on Flickr

Could make out , at one point, the little peninsula where sits Bellagio, the beautiful area we would be staying in 4 days time after Tuscany.

On landing, we were soon at the car hire desk of OK Mobility, an outfit we’d never used before.We always go through a third party site, most recently Discover Cars and generally find that we get a better deal than going direct to the supplier.However, OK cars turned out to not to live up to their name!
We’d got an excellent price of £83 for 13 days car hire but were told by the young man at the desk that he could only offer us a Fiat Punto - technically the same small car category which we had booked but not the car pictured.Hmmm…didn’t fancy a Punto as it hasn’t got a great reputation.Meanwhile, the chap was going on about why we should rent something bigger for comfort.I always think small cars are perfect in Europe given the tiny streets you often have to drive through but we finally agreed. However, we intended in disbelief as he said that that would cost £160 extra.Seeing our shock he quickly changed tactics and asked what would be an ‘acceptable’ extra payment to us? It was all beginning to feel like a con or scam.
Whenever we have booked cars abroad, all over the world in fact from Namibia and S.Africa, to California and throughout Europe, if they offer a bigger car, it’s usually at no extra charge.It was difficult to believe that the Punto was the only small car they had in low season (when we finally did get to their off site parking lot at Bergamo Car Rental it was packed with small cars!)

Cutting a long story short, we finally secured a Volkswagen T Cross for an extra £60.It can be stressful enough at these car hire desks without all that palaver but at least we were now on our way.

So, later than we thought at 7.15pm and now in the dark, I brought up the Google map I’d downloaded and off we headed to Bergamo Alta(Citta Alta), the historic centre of this handsome small town.It should only have been a 20 min or so drive but, as things often do in reality, it took twice that.My fault as navigator as I get caught out by how quickly a turn suddenly comes up.But mostly, we were delayed by the very long timed access into the Old Town and the rather large queue of traffic waiting to get in.

Bergamo apartment by Anne C, on Flickr

Once in, we went round in circles trying to find La Taverna della Contessa, despite pretty good directions.So many tiny little streets though I was on the look out for really huge entrance gates which I assumed would be easy to find.Finally, they appeared and I realised we’d actually passed them twice but had been peering the wrong way.Duh!
A bit of a kerfuffle followed as the instructions to get the gate and Airbnb apartment keys was incredibly complicated, a bit like a treasure hunt.Anyway, finally the imposing gates swung open and we headed along the gravel drive fringed by gardens.Looked very nice indeed!Our flat was on the ground floor, quite large with two windows which looked onto the old town.The decor was a bit modern and spartan for my tastes I have to say but on a cold night, it felt cosy and comfortable and was spotlessly clean.Apart from the free, secure parking, we’d also chosen La Contessa for being an easy 5 min walk into the Citte Alta.

After leaving the bags in the flat, we headed out, keen to make the most of our first night in Italy.Somehow, the cold evening air (it was now 8pm) made the stress of getting here vanish and we both just felt the joy of being in Italia once more.Even in the dark, the old town looked beautiful, little restaurants and bars lit up and busy though the streets were very quiet.

We were both starving by now having had nothing since noon apart from tea and for me, a couple of Kind nut/chocoate bars (one of many food addictions!).Which of many appealing places to choose? As ever I was attracted to a place lit by fairy lights in the lovely main square, Piazza Vecchia. ‘Lalimentari’’ was busy inside but we got a table under a very efficient heater and were soon tucking into excellent pasta.


Good food in Bergamo by Anne C, on Flickr

Spaghetti Alla Genoese Pesto for me and Meat Lasagne for Chris.Mine was very rich, very salty and doused in Parmesan( that was very welcome!) I don’t have a blood pressure problem but that dish must have pushed it up a good few notches.Hunger makes good kitchen however and we were very happy with what we had.

Thankfully also we found a tiny shop near the restaurant and the funicular which sold fresh milk.Joy oh joy…I really do need my tea. Chris declared he was looking forward to better stuff as he’d bought Chardonnay in Edinburgh’s Duty Free, in case shops were closed by the time we arrived in Bergamo.

As we headed back through the silent streets, church bells began to ring, a sound so evocative of Italy. Less romantic than me, Chris remarked that I might not appreciate this melodic cacophony in quite the same way at 3am.

A great start to our trip - we were in bed and asleep by 10.30pm.

Day 2

Early morning, Bergamo by Anne C, on Flickr

Woke to a beautiful sunny morning, church bells ringing for Mass at 7.30am and a green woodpecker calling too.Lovely!

Gallons of tea and bit of toast and we were off to explore the old city.Bergamo had made a huge impression on us during a very brief visit many years ago.Would it live up to expectations? Soon we were strolling past the ancient Barracks (as they once were) and down the main thoroughfare to Piazza Vecchia.The streets were pristine, no litter, no graffiti. - very much a ‘real’ town which doesn’t seem given over to tourism.

Piazza Vecchia Bergamo by Anne C, on Flickr

More to come…

.

Melnq8 - I hope you enjoy it! Sorry to be confusing, after helpful contact with the Moderator, I’ve re done the write up a bit and hopefully it will be easier to read through.

Adelaidean - many thanks for kind words…it’s a bit unwieldy but glad you enjoyed it.

Anuj - good to hear from you! I’ve enjoyed your trip reports very much, travel is great fun,isn't it?

KarenWoo - hi! As I mentioned , I’ve changed things a bit with the post following a flag and conversation with the Moderator so hopefully it will be in smaller bite sized chunks now.Still not quite got the hang of it but getting there (slowly!)

'As we headed back through the silent streets, church bells began to ring, a sound so evocative of Italy.'
Soooo true, yeah Scot? That particular shot was moody in a good way. Now we'll all be off searching for what a green woodpecker call sounds like!

Btw, did you happen to notice any ice skating rinks in Bergamo? Our 30ish neighbor was just there a few months back and apparently won a speed-skating competition.
I am done. The end.

It’s not the most melodic call but as we are keen wildlife watchers at home, the call was distinctive. It came from quite a wild little gorge that was in front of our apartment building.


We weren’t in the newer , lower city of Bergamo so no idea, I’m afraid, about skating rinks.

Karen Woo - I meant to add, lovely to hear you enjoyed the photos!

Love your style -- sounds like a wonderful trip. You two are braver than I am - driving into Italian cities - and at night.

Day 2 Bergamo continued and a half way stop at Mantua

We soon reached the Piazza Vecchia again and just behind this handsome space lay the Piazza Duomo and a really lovely collection of buildings - the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, the Duomo, the exquisite exterior of the Cappella Colleoni and the octagonal Battistera.

The Basilica opened at 9am so we headed in there first(6 euros each.)It was breathtaking inside with a superb ceiling.In fact, the interior was really a bit of a jaw drop , despite the fact that we have seen many, many fine churches in Europe.Very quiet too, only three other people visiting at the same time as us.

We had a short time to wait until the Cappella Colleoni opened and spent it just admiring the gorgeous pink, white and black marble and the intricate carvings.No wonder it’s called Bergamo’s most beautiful building.

Bergamo by Anne C, on Flickr

Cappella Colleoni exterior by Anne C, on Flickr


Opening time at 9.30am came and went as we waited to enter.Then a man appeared with the keys - ‘just 5 meenutes’ he said and disappeared off for 10! We had the place to ourselves when we finally gained entry, paying a small fee of 2 euros each.It’s small inside and I knew the interior wouldn't match what we had just seen but I was keen to see the tomb of Bartolomeo Colleoni’s daughter, Medea. Colleoni was one of the most famous Italian military captains who lost his beloved daughter when she was only 15 years old. In grief, he commissioned Amadea, the region’s greatest architect and sculpture, to carve her last resting place in Carrera marble.The story caught me so although the interior is not on a par with the Basilica, I thought it was well worth seeing and very moving.

We walked up the steps of the Town Hall, church bells ringing once more, where an upper gallery gave us a better view of the Cappella.The hall was a lovely building in itself though it wasn’t open.The clock seemed to be out of kilter too.

P1150474.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

The unusually shaped Baptistry wasn’t open unfortunately…

P1150478.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Time for coffee and we headed for Bar Flora’s pretty terrace in Piazza Vecchia. Cafe Lattes for us both plus a Chocolate Croissant for me which was excellent and turned out to be the best of the trip.Not the Pain au Chocolat we get at home but with a softer, gooey-er filling, Nutella I think.

20240321_094619 by Anne C, on Flickr

Admittedly this was a very short time in Bergamo again but we had a 3 hour+ drive ahead of us to the outskirts of Florence.The plan was to break this up with a stop halfway at the World Heritage city of Mantua then head down to the 1st of 4 nights near Florence. Unknown to us (though we should have guessed perhaps) but a bit of a nightmare drive lay ahead on the motorway south!

Mantua was 90 mins away but we had forgotten how busy Italian motorways are mid week and enormous juggernauts were our constant companions.They were always pulling out to overtake each other, forcing us onto the outside lane.Once there, we were under pressure from the speeders, roaring up behind us.The lorries driving technique was – manoeuvre, signal, mirror! The motorways are much narrower than ours with no hard shoulder and with barriers hard against each side of the road, so there’s a feeling of having no room to manoeuvre.Chris did really well in just keeping calm and getting on with things while his navigator (occasionally more like a naggivator) didn’t hide her stress quite so well.We are opposites that way; I am a worrier, easily put on edge while Chris lives closer to the horizontal, nothing fazes him!

Anyway, we finally made it to Mantua in one piece and what a fine sight it was across the lake.

mantua from across the lake by Anne C, on Flickr

Got parked easily at Gonzago Parking, near the water and just a ten minute walk to Piazza Sordello which was reputed to have some fine buildings, according to our Michelin Green Guide to Italy.I usually consult a lot of different guide books before a trip, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides but we quite like the Green Guide layout so often have one of those with us.

Mantua by Anne C, on Flickr

Unfortunately it was market day and the large piazza was filled with assorted clothing and food stalls which detracted from our overall impression of the space.Weaving through the various stalls being disassembled, we made for the enormous 14th- 17th century, 500 room Ducal Palace.It was literally a building site with cranes and scaffolding everywhere.But we love these ancient palaces and knew the inside would be worth seeing.What we hadn’t quite bargained for was just how magnificent the interior would be.

It was awe inspiring.Incredibly beautiful.For this alone, Mantua would be worth visiting. The frescoes were stunning and the paintings, tapestries and decoration were outstanding.We easily spent at least 90 mins going through the rooms (not 500!) which were open to the public.The Bridal Chamber was a particular highlight…

Ducal Palace bridal chamber decoration by Anne C, on Flickr

Ducal Palace frescoes by Anne C, on Flickr

P1150495.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Views of handsome colonnades and corridors appeared from the windows…

The Ducal Palace, Mantua by Anne C, on Flickr

The ceilings were glorious…

Ceiling decoration, Ducal Palace Mantua by Anne C, on Flickr

For any lover of art and history, the Palace is a must see.

Once outside in the pleasant sunshine, we looked around for the external cage where criminals would be out on display…

A naughty corner for all to see, Ducal Palace by Anne C, on Flickr

Stunned by the Palace, we wandered down to Piazza Erbe which was also in the middle of market stall holders clearing up with vans and lorries cluttering up the square,The astrological clock was impressive but maybe due to the general upheaval, the rest of the space didn’t strike either of us as particularly special.That said, we certainly didn’t see it at its best.

Piazza Erbe’s colourful buildings…

Mantua by Anne C, on Flickr

The famous clock…

P1150520.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

A good halfway stop, Mantua,given how impressed we were with the Ducal Palace and I love visiting a new city in Italy.But perhaps not a city in itself , that we’d go out of our way to see again.

We now had 2.5 hrs of motorway driving to the southern outskirts of Florence and our accommodation at Marignolle Flowers.Tuscany here we come!

Many thanks janisj- great to know you’re enjoying the report.
I’d hoped we would just about make it to the Citta Alta while still in daylight but the faff at the car hire place plus the driver of the transfer bus taking his dinner break as his passengers sat twiddling their thumbs delayed everything considerably!

To Florence

The drive to Florence wasn’t an easy one - I’d forgotten how jam packed Italian motorways are with big juggernauts , all it seemed, intent on overtaking each other.Combined with the roads being much narrower with little by way of hard shoulders at each side, there was always a feeling of being very hemmed in.We’d pull into the outside lane when a lorry began to overtake another (their driving technique seemed to be manoeuvre, signal, mirror) and then have the speeders screeching up behind us.Chris is a very calm person (basically, he lives on a very horizontal plane) while I am a worrier and far more easily stressed,It didn’t help that the landscapes we passed through were, I have to say, uninteresting; this was the Po plain, flat as a pancake and peppered with light industry.

However, an hour north of Florence and the views changed to rolling green hills dotted with cypresses and olives groves - classic Tuscany.Beautiful! Spirits revived!
TuscanyView from near our accommodationLight traffic on the Florence by pass as we headed for Galluzzo, the nearest small town to our accommodation.Thankfully we found an excellent supermarket on its edge, Essalonga, giving us a chance to stock up on wine, cheese, bread, tomatoes and the like.Plus plenty of good chocolate for me, given my sweet tooth.Then we followed a winding, extremely narrow little road to our accommodation at Marignolle Flowers which Chris had booked us into for the next 3 nights. Actually we got temporarily lost and wrongly called in at the boutique Marignolle Hotel, thinking this was where our apartment was.A very friendly lady politely advised us that we were at the wrong Marignolle.Ah, so we should have taken that little left fork that we saw after all!

Marignolle Flowers

An elderly, well dressed man stood in front of a large stone wall and gate at the top of the tiny road and waved at us, guessing we were his new guests( we had messaged to say we’d arrive around 5.30pm) The electronic gates opened and he directed us in, the car beeping frantically because we were so close to grazing it on the stone pillars on each side.Eek!

After introductions, this very polite and quite formal gentleman showed us round the lower floor of a very large villa , all of which was ours.Two bedrooms – the king size really lovely and quite grand, a large dining kitchen, two bathrooms.All very clean, very traditional furnished too which was nice but strangely, no sitting room.However, there was a covered outdoor space with two sitting /dining areas.
Our car and parking areaIt turned out, we were actually in the basement level of the main house and there wasn’t a garden as such. I’d had visions of sitting out on a nice sunny terrace, enjoying a glass of wine while enjoying views of olive groves and the hills. Instead, we looked onto the garden wall of the main property which did indeed have lots of grounds AND had an olive grove but sadly, it was all out of bounds. Sigh. Oh well, we’d be spending most of our time out and about exploring but still… I couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment.

To be fair, our trip was put together at fairly short notice and although ‘off season’ there weren’t a lot of affordable accommodation options left.Plus we enjoy our own place AND we needed good access to the city plus secure, free parking, narrowing things down even more.I think we both just assumed that a villa would have its own grounds too.

We ate in, pretty tired after the travel and a busy day; good bread, olives and pickles, prosciutto, a quick tomato and onion salad which we made up, nice cheese. Relaxing!

Oddly, in contrast to our very rural, quiet surroundings, there were really loud voices coming from the main house. However, by 9pm things died down and it was super quiet.We were fast asleep not long after this.



Florence revisited
The DuomoThere were three main things that I wanted to see in Florence this trip, having visited the city twice before - admire the Duomo, see Botticelli’s two stunningly beautiful paintings in the UFFIZI and walk to San Miniato del Monte for those fantastic views over the city.

Breakfast was gallons of tea( we mainline it) toast, some prosciutto, tomatoes and cheese, then we packed a small rucksack with water and fruit for the day. Originally, we’d planned to take the tram into the city from Scandicci as recommended by several guidebooks but our host poo – poohed this, given that we had the car.

Instead, following his instructions , we drove 5km along an incredibly narrow, twisting but quiet backroad (passing three cars at most) which in 15 mins joined up with the main drag into Porta Romana, one of the city’s impressive stone entrance gates but perhaps not so commonly used by tourists. Here, we found, as promised, plenty of secure parking for 2 euros per hour.Perfect.

The streets were very quiet (it was around 7.45am) as we strolled towards the city centre, past the severe architecture of the Pitti Palace until I recognised the Ponte Vecchio.Too early for the jewellery shops to be open so it was largely crowd free.
Ponte VecchioA well travelled friend had warned me that I might not like Florence as much as in previous years because the crowds had grown so much and were, she’d found quite overwhelming.Certainly, the city had been busy on my first visit around 25 years with my two young sons in tow.Chris and I had also stayed in Florence about 10 years ago and while busy, we’d loved the top sights so much , the crowds weren’t really what I remembered.

This early, the streets were pretty quiet as we walked past the UFFIZI buildings and into the grand, impressive Piazza di Signoria.

P1150529.jpg by scotlandmac, on Flickr

There were still very few tourists about, though quite a few vans were dropping off or picking up goods, the delivery drivers looking very busy.The city was getting itself going for another hectic day ahead.

Coffee and croissant time! Plus I was suddenly impatient to see the Duomo itself.

Two mins walk took us to Piazza Duomo and all thoughts of a cafe break disappeared as we took in the simply jaw dropping view of Brunelleschi’s dome and that incredible green, white and pink striped marble exterior of the cathedral.It was magnificent.It really must be one of the world’s finest buildings, an absolute show stopper.The carvings, the detail…it was actually far grander and more overwhelming than I remembered.

http://Untitled by Anne C, on Flickr

Taking our time, we strolled round the whole building, marvelling at its grandeur.

http://

http://P1150606.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

I was tempted slightly by the Bell Tower and Dome being open and no queue - having a tower to climb is usually catnip to me - but today, I just didn’t feel like clambering up 400+ steps. Chris was mightily relieved as he has followed me up all sorts of endless spiral stairs to viewpoints over buildings and cities.

http://P1150539.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Instead, it was time to find that cafe and as ever I was lured by location.Cafe Scadieri is quite a famous, long established cafe and its terrace provided a grandstand view of the Duomo.Who would want to sit in a backstreet when such a vista existed here? We got a good table easily, hardly a soul about and settled down to enjoy lattes and for me, a chocolate croissant.

http://P1150544.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Coffees were good.My croissant was too though a bit too chilled.Didn't quite match Bergamo’s offering but very welcome.In fact when we went into pay, the cafe was really busy inside presumably with locals who were well used to the view.

http://P1150549.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Next up was a stroll through to Piazza Republica where I’d read that the upmarket department store Rinascente, had a top floor cafe which offered great views of the Duomo complex.

Off we set, calling in briefly to check out the whereabouts of anither highly recommended Florence ice cream shop, Grom.Found it easily as it was just off the Piazza Duomo.It’s time would come after our rooftop cafe stop.

The crowds were already building now at 9.45am as we hung around waiting for the doors of the store to open at 10am.I had visions of all sorts of fellow tourists facing inside to nab a prime seat in the cafe and when the doors finally opened, we did indeed race inside as there were entrance doors everywhere.Making for the lift, haring past glamorous assistants at the Dior and Dolce and Gabbana counters(including the odd sight of a young male member of staff in what looked like an elaborate wedding dress) we must have looked sadly desperate.No doubt they’d seen it all before!

As it turned out, we were first I the queue with only a family with two children behind us.Following the assistant out to the terrace, we were seated at a table for two in the warm sunshine with a stunning view of the Duomo.A glorious spot.

View from Rinascente cafe by Anne C, on Flickr

One of the great pleasures of a holiday is indulging in lots of food! Tasty toasted ham and cheese for Chris, Pistachio Cake for me (more white sugar, I’ve read it’s as bad for us as smoking and alcohol but sometimes, who cares?) A lovely feeling too, being away from the crowds below in the airy atmosphere of this high terrace.

http://P1150558.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Report continued - On to the superb UFFIZI

Our cafe terrace had to be a short stop as I had pre booked tickets for the UFFIZI at 10.45am so it was soon time to walk round and pick them up.

As expected, the galleries were busy by now but overall not too bad.

It was very easy to find the Botticelli Rooms (signage has improved a lot since our last visit) and sure enough, there were large clusters of people admiring the Primavera and Birth of Venus.
http://Birth of Venus by Anne C, on FlickrBut folk tended to move on fairly quickly and soon, we were in pole position to enjoy these exquisite works of art. There is something about the beautiful faces, the effect of the egg tempura paint , the pale, delicate colouring, still so light and fresh….I’m absolutely bowled over by them. I dabble in a bit of amateurish oil painting and pastels and love visiting Art Galleries wherever we go.But of course, this one is top notch.
http://P1150572.jpg by Anne C, on FlickrApparently, there are 128 different types of flowers identifiable in Primavera.I often wonder why so much modern art (to me) is not as inspiring or gorgeous as that produced in the distant past.
http://P1150573.jpg by Anne C, on FlickrThe rest of what were once the offices of the ruling Medici family were superb too. There were incredible sculptures, some Leonardo da Vinci works, an exquisite Michelangelo which was very reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel images.
http://Michaelangelo by Anne C, on FlickrThe UFFIZI ceilings were also a wonder.What a place! It really is a must see in Florence, even for the building alone.

Back to Grom

After all that high culture, it was time for ice cream - two scoops each: Pear and Pistachio for me; Vanilla/ Rum and Raisin for Chris.It was good though not quite as delicious as some of the Italian café vanilla ice cream at home.There are many Italians in Scotland still running traditional cafes and they often do really wonderful ice cream, usually served with bright red raspberry sauce.Their recipes are closely guarded secrets - even the serving staff don’t know them.

I’d also been reading about how so much ice cream sold today is full of additives - xanthan gum and other bizarre , artificial ingredients - which means it doesn’t melt easily.That’s why so many cafes now have their products stacked up high into great, whipped mounds. Visually, very appealing but the ‘real deal ‘ has to be kept in lidded, cold metal tubs. Grom did this, I noticed.

San Miniato al Monte
http://P1150630.jpg by Anne C, on FlickrFortified with the add on of a few plums and oranges, off we headed to the beautiful church of San Miniato al Monte, about a 25 min walk.Some great views of the city walls over the spring countryside as we ascended the final section...

http://P1150618.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

It was very warm now and the route is mostly uphill.It was also signposted which was a help though you can see the church sitting high above Florence to the south east.In fact, we JUST made it before they closed at 1pm.Well worth the slog though, it was absolutely beautiful inside with gorgeous frescoes.Reminiscent of some of the decoration in Palermo's Cappella Palatina.

http://P1150621.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

http://P1150627.jpg by Anne C, on FlickrAnd of course, that wonderful city view.

http://P1150632.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Walked back to the car via the Viale deli Colli, a nice pedestrian path which took us back in about 40 mins to Porto Romana.13 euros charge for 6 hours parking…I think we did ok with that.

Florence's key attractions are stunning but one day (part day as it turned out!) felt enough for us now.The crowds really do build quickly and must be overwhelming in high season.

Off to the quiet of Fiesole
http://Fiesole by Anne C, on FlickrIt was only 2.30pm so we drove to Fiesole, a small hillside town overlooking the valley and 30 mins away.I'd always wanted to visit it after reading about how pretty it was but somehow we had never made the time previously.Got parked easily just off the main piazza and discovered that Fiesole had very interesting Roman ruins including a small amphitheatre.Spent a good hour just wandering round this lovely, quiet site.7 euros each I think it was.Well worth seeing if you are interested in Roman history which we both are.
http://Amphitheatre Fiesole by Anne C, on FlickrOverall, I wouldn’t say the town is a must see, but it a pleasant, quiet little place and it was nice to escape the bustle of the city.My favourite part was walking uphill to a small monastery with fine views over the Tuscan countryside.Absolute peace.

http://Fiesole's quiet streets by Anne C, on Flickr

There is a wonderful view over Florence and the valley from Fiesole too..

http://P1150651.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Back to base...
Picked up various things for dinner in Essalonga then headed up our little winding road to the villa.Chris poured us both a glass of sparkling wine and we sat out in the sun for half an hour, in the little bit of hard standing where our car was parked.Just bird song and a slight breeze rustling the trees.I must say that our accommodation did feel like a very real place, if that makes sense…it was someone’s home in a tiny gated complex of three large old houses.We were actually surrounded by olive groves and the area was very pretty, very rural yet so handy for Florence and picking up supplies.I'd settled into it being a decent choice.

As we sat in the warm sunshine, it was now that the reason for the loud voices became clear.The house upstairs belonged to a very elderly woman.I would guess she was in her 90s, very bent but still firing orders at her (also elderly) son who was working in their olive grove.She waved at us,smiled and we waved back. ‘ Buona Seras’ were exchanged and all was forgiven re the disturbance of the night before.

Dinner was tasty…a cooked, cold roast chicken, our own onion and tomato salad again, some good bread, green chilli olives and followed by some sweet plums and oranges.

No wonder we felt tired and just wanted to relax, we ‘d racked up nearly 24,000 steps today.Once again, party animals that we are, we were asleep by 9pm.

Tomorrow - Siena , San Gimignano and an off the cuff lunch in the gorgeous walled village of Monteriggione.

A very appealing and interesting last section in Firenza Scot'!
I had to re-read your quote about having done 24,000 steps that day!!

I am done. the buonobuono

Many thanks zebec -yes, I meant steps as counted on my phone, rather than entrances to buildings etc.Certainly felt that distance at the end of the day.

SIENA and MONTERIGGIONE

After breakfast, off we set at 7.45am with Siena as our first stop, an hour’s attractive drive away.The countryside really was lovely - iconic Tuscany with needle like cypresses lining hilltops which led to handsome villas, the whole fronted by olive groves and vineyards.Everything was very green in early spring and apple blossom dotted the fields.The last time we were in Tuscany it was November so the colours and flowers were very different.

Parked in Parcheggio Il Campo car park; 2 euros an hour.The car parks are all well signposted and there's plenty of choice.A creature of habit, I was pretty sure this was the one we'd used in times past.(I remember us walking with my two wee sons running ahead, knowing plenty of time in the villa pool was in order later in the day.) Ten mins walk took us to Il Campo itself, that wonderful, circular piazza where the Palio takes place.Even the back of Siena’s buildings looked attractive, all golden stone topped by orange roofs.

Il Campo is so unique in appearance, such a magnificent public space It didn't disappoint..I was quite surprised however by stalls which , as we sat having coffee, soon began opening up around the grand arena, selling fridge magnets and football T shirts.It’s a World Heritage Site so it seemed a shame to let them operate here.Ah well...commerce rules.No doubt in the old days it was a hive of equivalent activity!

We were now perusing the grandeur from another famous old cafe - Nannini.Our table was bathed in warm sunshine and what a joy to soak up the rays and admire Il Campo before it got too crowded because already, hordes of fellow tourists were starting to pour in from every entrance.



Didn't recall this lovely fountain and pool...



The Palazzo Pubblico is a stunner of a building and we wandered over to have a look as I'd never been inside.The Tower itself seemed to be closed for repairs so I didn't feel so guilty about, once more, not feeling like hiking up to the top.Settling for a look at the interior would do...



And it was so worth doing! The interior is incredibly grand and interesting and a joy if you love frescoes.They really were quite incredible and not really what I expected to see somehow in terms of quality and extent.If Town Hall's are often a slightly dull space then this is the opposite.Every wall was decorated.





The Duomo

I had never forgotten my first visit to Siena’s Duomo; it had bowled me over with its sheer, extravagant, elegant beauty.
How would it fare after that incredible interior we'd just walked open mouthed around? Plus with Firenze's own Duomo having made such an impression?

Well, there should have been no doubts because a first look at Siena Duomo's extravagant exterior and WOW was the order of the day.I don't think words can do it justice.



There's something almost wedding cake like in its exuberant decoration and carvings, so different from anything we had seen so far or in fact have seen elsewhere.A sort of smorgasbord of sculpture, carving, colour - all black and white stripes, white and pink marble.Utterly beautiful, I thought, though perhaps 'too much' in some people's eyes? I don't know.I tend to quite like over the top.



If that wasn't enough, the interior of black and white striped marble(the colours of Siena I'd read)…words don’t do justice to describe how stunning it is.
During our visit, a choir and orchestra were practising and we spent some time just listening to the beautiful singing.Ethereal.



The Library was fantastically decorated too with exquisite Illuminated manuscripts.



We’d bought the all singing - all dancing ticket to the Duomo giving us timed access to an adjacent upper gallery. I wasn't sure this would add anything to the whole visit but it turned out to be quite fantastic, giving fabulous vistas over the Duomo , Il Campo and the city.
It was a fair old climb up but as ever with these things, so worth it.

P1150728.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

The city itself..

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Well, there is more to see in Siena but those sights to me were always the highlight.Very happy with what we had seen and with the crowds building, it felt time to escape.

Monteriggione



The tiny walled village of Monteriggione is difficult NOT to make a quick detour off the main road to admire and explore.It really is a picture postcard version of what a hill town should look like! The photo above is not of great quality as I took it through the car window but we just couldn't pass it by.I'd visited it twice before and the impression I had was of a peaceful, pretty place, simple and quiet but with one or two nice cafes and restaurants.
Got parked easily below the village in one of the official car parks(and managed to get one of the free spaces) then walked up the quiet little road to the ancient stone gateway.
Inside the walls, the village is essentially just one very pretty piazza lined with attractive small cafes and restaurants - I have to say, far more than I recall! After the crowds of Siena however, it was heavenly and we decided spur of the moment to have lunch here.It was just too lovely not to.





Got a nice table outside Le Torre restaurant with liveried waiters, friendly service and really good, homemade food.
A little Amuse Bouche was brought first - a tasty barley broth and a first class selection of homemade bread(walnut and also olive bread) We shared a rabbit salad with honeyed walnuts as a starter.This was more fine dining than we’d expected with the rabbit presented as little roulades but it had good flavours.

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Mains were home made Pappardelle with Wild Boar sauce for me , a big favourite of mine and fillet steak for Chris.Both really were excellent.
We both talked about how lucky we felt to be here, on a sunny Sunday afternoon in early Spring, having a great lunch in such a beautiful place.It was probably the best meal and one of the most enjoyable locations of the trip.

Had a stroll through the rest of immaculate, quiet little Monteriggione.The countryside around the village was gorgeous.

Monteriggione countryside by Anne C, on Flickr



A village I would never tire of visiting - a gem of a place, very pretty.In fact, it was the kind of quiet little village that most appeals to me these days.There must be some lovey walks in that countryside too, possibly amongst the nicest we saw this trip.

On to San Gimignano and a lot of memories, some bringing a little tear to the eye, another tears of laughter...