Blogs from Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

Fast train from Naples (the first place so far we were glad to be out of) to Florence or Firenze. There we set ourselves a hectic schedule as we only had 2 full days, barely able to dent the surface of all Florence has to offer. Largely as a result of the Medici family (both loved and hated here, could be referred to as Italy’s first Mafia family) many great talents like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Galileo and Donatello were supported. The Medicis were great collectors of the arts and ensured that the many treasures would never leave Florence. We started with a guided walking tour to get our bearings then launched into our list of “must see” sights, culminating in Michelangelo’s David. Then on to our lovely Tuscany villa in the hills just north of Pistoia ... read more

Geo: 43.9055, 10.7882On Wednesday, the sun was shining so we decided to repeat the bike ride we did from here last year. Since I had not used mine in five months and with very little other physical exercise, I was struggling with many of the early inclines and had to walk some of the way. However, this does have its benefits since you can safely take in the fantastic views over the wooded Ligurian hillsides dotted with hamlets of dwellings in a multitude of terracotta shades, with very little traffic. The peace is temporarily broken though as you pass beneath the motorway viaduct.After settling the bill, we left Finale Ligure on Friday to rejoin the motorway which would take us through Genoa via numerous tunnels closely bordered by residential high-rise living then into Tuscany, with the ... read more

Back in Pistoia. Saw a brilliant della Robia terracotta, his masterpiece, the Visitation, which depicts Mary and Elizabeth. It was beautifully crafted and I loved the contrast. Della Robia was indeed a genius, as our professor has already several times pointed out.... read more

This morning we took the #10 into Pistoia to meet with the mayor. He gave a strange speech that mentioned the tragedy of 9-11… a lot. I think he just wanted to express Italy’s solidarity with the US’ stand against terrorism in a way to make us feel safe and he encouraged us to remain open to cultural exchange, etc, etc. He didn’t look like a mayor, not that there’s any sort of typical “mayor” look, but he was actually fairly young and handsome. His staff gave us hats that say “Amico di Pistoia” (friend of Pistoia) and 3-D cut outs of the church or something. ... read more

This morning I woke up and bid a sad farewell to the city that claimed my heart. Ciao, Roma! I towed my luggage the distance from Quattro Fontane to the termini, found my biglietto (pronounced beelYETto = ticket) and found binario quattro (beeNARio QUAtro = track four). I took the Eurostar north to Firenze (Florence), then transferred onto the local treno (train) to Pistoia - I actually missed the first one, but there’s one every hour. I’ve had to learn how to say “Scusi, non capisco.” (“Sorry, I don’t understand.”) because so many people keep mistaking me for a native of Italia. The further I get from Roma the less Englese people speak. Luckily, I’m picking up the language very quickly. Most recently, I’ve learned the new phrases “Carino bambino” (cute baby) and “Non lo so” ... read more