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Published: December 13th 2008
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Welcome one and all to episode five of Matt & Sharon's travel blog. Last time we spoke the two of us were just about to get on a train for the Tuscan capital, Florence.
After wolfing down our complimentary croissants and coffee (with whipped cream floating on top) we wandered through the rain across the road to Roma Termini station. The arrivals board showed that most of the trains coming into Rome had been delayed, some up to two hours, and the departures board didn't read any better. Luckily our train left Rome on time (albeit from a different platform than it was supposed to) but by the time we had reached the outskirts of Rome, we could see that we weren't going to escape the delays entirely. The train stopped for about 20 mins before people started to jump up, wondering what was wrong. We looked around the carriage, hoping that someone was speaking English so we could hear what was going on. The gentleman sitting next to Sharon was kind enough to translate the attendant's announcement for us - the train was being delayed due to excess water on the tracks from the previous night's downpour.
We weren't
too worried - we had our accomodation booked in Florence and being on holidays, we didn't really have anywhere to be. We were quite happy just sitting back reading the newspaper from the previous day (it was the only newspaper that they had in English!) while everyone else on the train got edgy and impatient.
Eventually we headed off and before long we could see what the hold-up was about. The track next to the one that our train was on was completely submerged and in nearby fields there were cars with water up to their roofs. It was quite a sight to see, and you too can partake in the excitement by viewing the attached photo.
We eventually arrived in Florence about 1.5 hours later than scheduled, but we really didn't mind. We were more concerned about trying to find our hotel, given the limited success we had had the last two times. Third time lucky though, as the hotel actually
was five minutes walk from the station and we found it very easily.
Later in the afternoon we wandered through Florence to the marketplace which is sprawled over about three streets in the city's centre. The goods
Steps down from the dome
Kinda disorienting but that is looking down the steps... seemed to be quite cheap and the atmosphere there was quite awesome, but there really only seemed to be a couple types of stalls - those selling handbags, hats and belts, those selling shirts and jumpers, and those selling the touristy things like trinkets and Leaning Tower of Pisa replicas. We headed to Santa Maria del Fiore, the massive cathedral that dominates the Florentine cityscape. Most striking about the Cathedral is is huge dome, which can be climbed for some great views of the city. We did just that, but halfway up memories of Fira's 588 steps came flooding back and when the gradient increased toward the end so that we were almost climbing a ladder, we kept thinking 'this better be worth it'. It was. The view from the top of the dome is simply stunning and you can get a full 360 degree panorama of the city and surrounding countryside. Again, a small sample of said panorama can be sampled on this page.
The next morning we indulged in the hotel's complimentary breakfast before running down to Firenze S.M.N station to join a full day Tuscany tour which we had booked the previous day. The small and
Leaning tower of cliche
Yep we did it. Wouldn't have been a visit to Pisa without it! cramped bus took us to the nearby town of Siena to begin the day, as our tour guide told us of the centuries long rivalry between Tuscany and Siena, played out then on the battlefield and played out now on the football (soccer) field. The city itself is quite stunning - the walled historical centre surrounded by sprawling suburbs - and our local guide told us stories of the bankers and merchants that made a name for the city. Siena contains the oldest still-running bank branch in the world, the Monte dei Paschi, which reportedly even has a branch in Melbourne. Siena is also home to the Palio, a twice-a-year horse race run in the city's main square which has reportedly been running for hundreds of years.
After Siena we headed to a typical Tuscan farmhouse for lunch. We indulged in pasta, cheeses, meats, breads, olive oil, wine, Biscotti di Prato and dessert wine and all of it was fantasic. Even better was the fact that the majority of the produce was made on the farm by the owners, who were lovely, incidentally.
After lunch we were driven to San Gimignano, another walled town which looks over the Tuscan countryside.
Wet.
Nice parking. The town is most known for its 14 watchtowers - 70 of which originally stood in and around the walls - and of course its churches.
The tour ended with a visit to Pisa, of the Leaning Tower fame. The tower is quite striking in it's leaning-ness, but luckily it has been counterweighted to prevent its fall onto nearby buildings. Before you ask, yes we did take 'that' photo. You know, the one where you pretend to hold it up. It's kinda cool actually, and you can see the photo on this page.
While we were waiting for the rest of our tour group to assemble at the 'meeting point', we were ambushed by street vendors. Sharon was offered any number of name-brand handbags for a fraction of the retail price *coughstolencough* and several 'genuine Rolexs' were thrust in my direction. You know, the sort of Rolex's that only cost $20 and have their warranty mailed out later? This particular vendor was especially pushy, and without even trying - i.e. by saying I wasn't interested - he knocked the price down from 40€ to 10€. That's a bargain if ever I saw one. Or a fine of up to 10,000€
Tuscan countryside
Awwh, it has olive trees and everything! under the 'No fakes!' laws here in Italy.
Overall the tour was a great experience. It was really good to see more of Tuscany than just the city of Florence, and despite the cold, wet, windy and foggy conditions, it truly is a beautiful place.
We woke up a little later today, enjoying not having to be up for a tour or to catch a train, and after a casual breakfast we headed out into Florence again. After a brief stop at the Leonardo da Vinci museum - the guy is a dead-set genius just quietly - we met up with Davo. I gotta say, he is bigger than I imagined - about 5 metres tall - and seing him for the first time in the flesh was quite thrilling. For those of you who haven't twigged yet, I'm talking about Michelangelo's statue of David. He truly is a masterpiece - you should see how much detail is involved. I'm talking about veins sticking out of his arm, tendons poking out the back of his leg, stuff like that. It was quite amazing. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos in there, but I'm sure you won't have any
San Gimignano alleway
Yep, it was pretty cold. trouble finding an image of him. Or a cheap plaster knock-off worth $2.
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the streets and markets of Florence before heading over to the internet cafe to do some catching up with people back home. Sharon just reminded me of something too - apparently there is this new law in Italy that says that all internet users must leave or show I.D before use. So when we want to use the internet here they take our passport, take a photocopy and then give it back to us. I'm sure it's all above-board but it's still a little strange.
Anyway, I suspect that it's dinner time. The food here really is terrific and we've been pigging out on pasta, pizza and gelati since we arrived in Rome the other day. Kinda missing souvlaki though.
Until next time, arrivederci!
Matt & Shaz
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Corry DeNeef
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Aah Tuscany, aah Rome, aah Italy Aah Greece
Just got back from my holiday in WA (very nice thank you but nothing like Greece or Italy) and want to travel again - yes Europe would be nice. Glad you're having such a good time in spite of the challenges of the weather and the languages. I have never been to Italy, but you have Steven drooling with the descriptions and the photos. Take care! Corry