Toscana ( Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca and Pisa )

Siena

From Perugia, there is a coach (pullman) to Siena and the journey takes 90 minutes and cost €12 (€9 if one buys prior to boarding). However, the pullman stops at Siena train station and we have to find our way to the historic centre via the local bus (autobus). This is a common situation in most parts of Italy. The charming city or town is usually perched on a hilltop while the train station is at the foot of the hill.

At the historical centre, one will be captivated by the main square (Piazza del Campo) and the majestic tower (Torre del Mangia). The weather was extremely hot and even the pigeons are cooling themselves by the white marble fountain. The Duomo is located near to the historical centre and you will be awed by her grandeur and intricate carvings on the façade.

A good time to visit Siena would be in July and August to witness the Palio event whereby locals dressed in traditional customs will be riding round the campo. It will be tough to find yourself a place to put your feet on.

San Gimignano
From Siena, we took a pullman to San Gimignano. However, we need to go to Poggibonsi to pick up some passengers before going to San Gimignano. The ride was scenic too as we passed by the Chianti region that produces the infamous Chianti Classico. Rows and rows of green vineyards greeted us and the sunflowers were in season too. San Gimignano is famous for its numerous towers which make it conspicuous from a great distance and provide one of the most remarkable sights in Italy. There are currently 13 towers still standing tall. The towers were formerly used as a display of the family’s wealth as each tried to compete with the others to build the tallest tower.

After entering Porta San Matteo, we walked along the borgo aand passed by numerous souvenir shops selling Tuscany’s cured meat and the local wines like Chianti and Vernaccia.Finally reached the historical centre at Piazza Cisterna which is an open square and gathering place for the 7000 inhabitants of San Gimignano. Near to Piazza Cisterna, there is the Duomo and the tourist office which provided us with information for our next destination to Lucca.

Lucca

From San Gimignano, we took the pullman to Pongibonsi to take a train to Lucca but have to change train at Empoli. Our main task was to look for our accommodation at the youth hostel (Ostello) that my German classmate had reserved. To our horror, we were told that our reservation was not confirmed because we didn’t pay any deposit and our rooms were given to other tourists who arrived an hour earlier. We didn’t spend time arguing but decided to look for alternative accommodation instead. We chanced upon a small church which is has an empty wooden bed without mattress. As night falls the church was scented with lavender fragrance from the rows of lavender shrubs in the small garden in the courtyard. For once, we thought this will be our last resort if we were not able to find any rooms for the night. Finally, after scouting around, we found a bed and breakfast ( Affitacamera ) called Primavera ( Spring ).

As we wasted our time searching for accommodation upon arrival for Lucca, we didn’t have time to explore the town as much as we could. However, Lucca is unique as it is surrounded by a concrete wall and you have the feeling of living in ancient time whereby the villages are protected from intruders with the wall. There are also many gates in various directions of the concrete wall for the lucca citizens to depart to various parts of Italy.

Pisa

We left Lucca the next morning and headed for Pisa, birthplace of Galileo Galilei. Certainly, Pisa doesn’t need much introduction. From the train station, we walked straight towards the famous landmark, the leaning tower of Pisa. Along the way, we passed by the Arno River and admired the nice reflection of the colourful buildings in the river.

As the leaning tower is within sight, the excitement built up and all of us seemed so thrilled as if hoping we could embrace the leaning tower of Pisa within our arms. Certainly this sounded impossible but with the camera trick, anything is possible. Tourists were all trying various shots like holding the leaning tower with their palms or supporting the tower with only one finger. While some tourists were busy taking the cheeky shots, the rest were admiring and amused by the innovative poses whiling sitting down at Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles).

Lunch was round the corner and the tourists were spoilt for choices as there are numerous restaurants competing for customers just outside Campo dei Miracoli. Our lunch was by far the most luxurious meal we had in this Tuscany trip. We ordered the tourist meal which comprises of a lasagne (primo), salad (contorno) and glass of wine (vino). Singaporeans take after the American way of dining and eat salad at the beginning. However, the Italians will have their salads after the primo or secondo ( second course usually a meat item ) We wondered after if it was the wine that made us leaning sideways or the effect of staring at the leaning tower for too long. We left Pisa feeling contented after feasting on a good mealand the beautiful sights with good companions.