Our last ten days in Italy were spent visiting beautiful Siena and the surrounding villages in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, immersing ourselves in the culture of Florence and Pisa and exploring the stunning natural landscape of the Cinque Terre.
Siena
The sun was shining when we arrived in Siena and our campsite was a sheltered suntrap. After the cold of Rome and Assisi Andrew wasted no time whipping his shirt off and catching some much-missed rays. There was no chance of getting him to do anything, so I headed off for a walk on my own and found myself across the valley and walking up the steep cobbled streets shaded by the sheer walls of the tall stone buildings of historic Siena. The narrow streets and tall buildings made it difficult to get my bearings and after wandering around for a while confused, I decided not to attempt to unwrap this city any further and instead leave it as a surprise for when Andrew was with me.
The next day, after a slow start, we went on an organised tour to discover the Tuscan countryside and sample some of the famous Chianti wines. It was just us and an American couple on the tour. Our first stop was the tiny hilltop village of Monteriggioni, one of the most intact medieval fortified villages in Italy. 570 metres of stone walls follow the contours of the slopes and protect a cluster of quaint medieval houses, piazzas and churches. It is now mostly a tourist attraction and there are plenty of shops selling local wine and souvenirs. Being so tiny it didn’t take us long to see the entire town and we were soon back in the mini-van winding through vineyards, fields, and forests, home to the infamous Tuscan wild boars, and towards our next destination – San Gimignano.
In the age of the Renaissance Tuscany was one of the richest and most powerful parts of the world and in San Gimignano wealthy merchant families competed against each other to see who could build the tallest tower. This pursuit resulted in the skyline of San Gimignano resembling a medieval Manhattan. There were 72 towers during the peak of the trend of which only 15 remain, but 15 is still a lot in a small town. Of course, I was keen to get to the top of one of these towers. The view from Torre Grossa was spectacular. Tuscany is every bit as beautiful as I imagined. Back on the ground we wandered through the narrow alleyways, admired the frescoes in the cathedral, sat by the well in Piazza della Cisterna, and browsed in the stores selling saffron, wild boar prosciutto and precious Santa Fina pottery. By the time our guide was driving us down the hill the sun was starting to wane in the sky. We had one final stop, a winery in the heart of Chianti. We were ushered into a private room by the larger than life hostess and seated at a table laden with glasses. A platter of bruschetta, cheeses, Tuscan salami, and sliced cold meats was placed in front of each of us and the first wine was poured. We tasted eight wines in total and five olive oils, finishing with traditional Cantucci di Prato biscuits dipped in a honey-like dessert wine. Glowing and sated we were delivered back to the campsite.
Our final day in Siena was the first time we went into the historic centre of the city and we had saved the best for last. Siena is truly beautiful – a perfectly intact Medieval city sprawled over a hill and surrounded by olive groves and fields. The undulating cobbled lanes wind up and down and around, making navigation almost impossible. Finally, we stumbled out into the magnificent Piazza del Campo, the fan like, sloping, central square. Unlike most central squares in Europe it isn’t a cathedral that takes centre stage here, but instead the Palazzo Pubblico, the Gothic town hall, and Torre del Mangia, a slender 14th century red-brick tower capped in white. Yes, another tower for me to climb. Andrew sat this one out, relaxing by the Fountain of Joy while I trotted off up 400 steps for another incredible view. Piazza del Campo is famous for a twice-yearly bare-back horse race. Incredibly horses are raced around the square on the cobbles while their riders try not to slip off their backs as they hurtle around tight turns while a crowd of thousands of cheers them on. We were pleased we were not there to witness this as to us it seems cruel to make horses gallop on cobbles and in such a tight area, the thought of an accident would be unbearable. But, Siena is proud of this race and photos, paintings and sculptures of it are everywhere.
Not far from Piazza del Campo is the cathedral, sitting on the highest point of the city and visible for miles. The dramatic exterior of black and white stripes is truly over the top and inside is just as lavish, filled with mosaics, frescoes and statues by famous artists including Michelangelo.
Siena is a city for pedestrians and we happily wandered for hours soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the feeling of stepping back in time. We finished our day in one of the many gourmet food shops, purchasing some Sienese delicacies to take on our journey.
Florence & Pisa
Spring had finally arrived, and the lovely weather continued for the three days we spent in Florence. Our campsite was next to the river Arno and only a short bike ride into the centre – it was the first time our bikes had been used since we left Spain. Biking into the city we passed a parking lot filled with tour buses and in the city itself there was bus after bus picking up and dropping off tour groups. The summer peak might have been still months away, but the city was bustling with visitors.
Florence is the home of Renaissance art and architecture and even though I had visited before I hadn’t been to the famous Uffizi Gallery so that was top of the list for me. The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most visited art galleries in the world and remembering the queues from the last time I was there I had pre-booked tickets online. It was well worth doing so as the queues were still long despite being the shoulder season. Inside the gallery my university art history papers came alive before my eyes. Masterpiece after masterpiece lined the walls: The magnificent gilded religious panels including the Orgnissanti Madonna by Giotto; Botticelli’s sumptuous Birth of Venus and La Primavera; the intense colours in Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo; the intricate portrayal of nature in Leonardo Da Vinci’s Annunciation; the curvaceous Venus staring seductively out from Titian’s Venus of Urbino; the horror on the face of Medusa in Caravaggio’s famous depiction; and the gruesome beheading of Holofernes in Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith and Holofernes. It was a sensory overload.
The rest of our time in Florence was spent doing what we enjoy most, blissfully wandering the streets. We admired the iconic Duomo and neighbouring bell tower by Giotto, browsed through the jewellery stores that line the Ponte Vecchio bridge, bought me an early birthday present of a leather handbag and wallet from the leather market, watched swarms of tourists photograph the replica of Michelangelo’s statue of David outside Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, then joined the throng and took our own photos, and studied the many other sculptures standing in Loggia dei Lanzi. Our visit was completed with a climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo for expansive views of Florence and the river Arno.
We headed off from Florence but couldn’t leave Tuscany without visiting Pisa. Pisa lies near the mouth of the river Arno and was once a maritime powerhouse, but now is known for a tower – the iconic white marble cylinder that is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We found a place to park the campervan and walked a couple of kilometres to the tower. We have both been to Pisa before and the last time I was there the place was overrun with beggars and hustlers trying to sell tower keyrings – it wasn’t pleasant. However, maybe because it wasn’t peak season, this time there were no beggars and the street hawkers were all standing behind their stalls. It was a much more enjoyable experience. We joined the rest of the tourists and took obligatory photos pretending to push the tower over. Aside from posing for funny photos, the architecture of the tower is fantastic, and the six rows of stone arches are simply beautiful. Behind the tower is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. The front façade of the 11th century cathedral is truly ornate with a series of beautiful stone and marble arches and three opulent bronze doors. We had made the right decision to visit again and we went away with a much more positive perception of Pisa.
Cinque Terre
A while ago Andrew asked me what I’d like to do for my birthday and I told him I’d like to walk the Cinque Terre in Italy. Cinque Terre is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. The five villages are linked by the Sentiero Azzurro cliffside hiking trail and from the photos I’d seen the views looked magnificent. So, we’d timed our trip up Italy to make sure we got to Cinque Terre for my birthday. I’d been watching the weather carefully and the closer we got to the date the worse the weather looked. We’d already booked a hotel in Vernazza, one of five villages, so we had to go regardless of the weather.
Our campsite was in Sestri Levante, 45 kilometres from the Cinque Terre, but close to a train station giving us easy access to the start of the walk. The night we arrived it rained heavily and although it had stopped the next morning, my birthday, the sky was still very dark. We wrapped up warmly, packed our backpacks with what we needed for our overnight stay and set off for the train station.
We got off the train at the northernmost village, Monterosso, and were told the walking track was temporarily closed because of the weather and an entire section was closed indefinitely because of a slip. I had read a blog that said you can still walk the track if it’s closed, there’s just no one at the checkpoint to stamp your hiking pass which means you save 7.50 euro. The rain had started again so we decided to have a look around Monterosso while we worked out what we were going to do. The pretty village with quaint lanes and bright orange and pink buildings was lovely but the rain got heavier. It wouldn’t have been pleasant walking in those conditions and we gave up the idea of attempting the hike that day, finding a restaurant and enjoying a nice birthday lunch instead.
After lunch we caught the Cinque Terre train to the next village, Vernazza where our accommodation was booked. We checked into our cute studio apartment in a pink stucco townhouse, where our enthusiastic host told us how much he loves New Zealand. The rain had stopped by then, and we went off to explore. My disappointment at not getting to walk the trail was slowly fading and this adorable seaside village was helping. Vernazza is known as the most beautiful of the five villages. 450 people live in this tiny village that sits snuggly in a cove at the bottom of steep slopes covered with rustic vineyards and terraced gardens. The sea was rough and slapped angrily against a concrete wall built to shelter wooden fishing boats from the elements. A small river runs through the middle of Vernazza and photos on a wall show of a devastating flood that ripped through the town in 2011. We climbed up to an old stone castle perched on an outcrop above the town and looked out over the medley of brightly coloured buildings and along the rugged coastline.
That evening we went out for my birthday dinner, choosing a hip looking eatery with a simple menu of local cuisine. It was stunning. We shared gnocchi with pesto for entrée and for my main I had the Baccala in cartoccio di vetro (cod in a glass package), which was beautifully delicate cod steamed with herbs and baby potatoes. Andrew had homemade ravioli with spinach and cheese. The food was lovely – simple, elegant flavours – and the local wine superb. The perfect end to a great birthday, despite not entirely going to plan.
The next morning was dry and as the forecast was for more rain we decided to get underway quickly and start the 4km walk from Vernazza to Corniglia. The track was still closed but we didn’t let that stop us, and we weren’t alone, others were also starting out. This is the hardest of the four sections of the Cinque Terre trail and climbs to the highest point, but it wasn’t difficult. The track wound up the slopes and along cliffs through the bush and then up to a small cluster of houses before descending into Corniglia. We struck up a conversation with an Australian couple who were walking in front of us, they were on a 3-month tour of Europe travelling by train.
Corniglia sits 100 metres above the sea and like Monterosso and Vernazza is filled with brightly coloured houses and cute nooks and crannies, but with a population of just 150 people it is a lot smaller. From Corniglia we could see Manarola, the 4th village along the coast. The track between Corniglia and Manarola is the section closed by the slip, but it’s only 2km long and flat so we weren’t too worried about missing that section. We decided instead to catch the train back to Vernazza and walk north from Vernazza to Monterosso. Apart from a brief downpour the weather was holding up.
Back in Vernazza we refuelled with a focaccia sandwich and then climbed the steep path out town, this time heading north. This section of the trail is also 4km long and quite steep, but unlike the first section this track mostly runs through farmland, vineyards and orchards. The sun was shining by now and the views along the coast were spectacular. Loads of people were walking the track, no one taking any notice of the fact it was still officially closed. It seemed a shame that the national park was missing out on all that revenue. The track was muddy and slippery in places and we passed many people who were struggling and not dressed for the conditions – one woman was even wearing a mink stole and high heeled boots.
Despite a few changes to our plans and a bit more rain than we’d have liked, it all turned out perfectly and we had a great time on the Cinque Terre. It was a birthday to remember.
Back at camp our van was as we left it, and almost as we arrived the skies opened again. We stayed put the next day, it was too wet to be driving. Then Easter Sunday dawned sparkling and bright and we headed off up the coast, through many more of those fantastic Italian tunnels and over sweeping viaducts, and finally across the border back to France, this time to the French Riviera.
