Under the Tuscan sun

Over the past week I had the pleasure of joining friends in Italy for part of their family holiday. My journey started in Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With a spare day before meeting the others, I ventured into the wider Tuscany region for a Chianti Classico wine tour. It was both an educational & enjoyable day out in the countryside, as we tasted the local produce & learned about the production of the special Sangiovese grapes. Florence is an easy town to navigate on foot. With cobbled stone streets, fascinating architectural facades and gelato shops on every corner, it's hard to take the smile off the face as you wander around.

Photos: Tuscan countryside (top right); and the view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo with the Cathedral standing in prominence and the Ponte Vecchio, the only Florence bridge to survive the German bombing in WWII (bottom left).


From Florence, we caught the train to Rome. Last summer I threw a coin in the Trevvi Fountain which carries the legend that you will return to Rome... and it came true! It was great to explore Rome once again, this time with slightly cooler weather but just as many tourists. I enjoyed exploring the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museum (photo below right is within the Vatican City courtyard), wandering around the narrow streets (photo below left) and walking through the Roman Forum. The highlight of the week was the stunning coastline known as the Cinque Terre. We had two nights in a brilliant B&B which boasted uninterrupted views of the gorgeous coastline. The five villages along this particular stretch of the coast are connected by a walking track which hugs the coastline. Even though a large section of the coastal track was closed due to the threat of avalanche, we still managed to visit the quaint towns by the local train service instead.
I ended the week the week with a quick stop in the town of Pisa. Even in the off-season, there were plenty of tourists taking that all important obligatory photo of the leaning Tower of Pisa. Photo: The Cinque Terre coastline; and the Tower of Pisa.