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We decided to take the back roads from Tarquinia to Pisa. It turned into a five hour journey versus a two hour and thirty minute toll highway drive. That said, it was well worth the five hours. It did get a bit tedious towards the end but I would do it again and we probably will. It was windy curvy all the way and we saw some beautiful Tuscan farms and vineyards. Switchbacks would describe the some of the turns, I think hairpin would be a better term. In Italy, roads are crappy even on the toll highways. Some of you think I drive fast, man I'm going 110 and I can feel the push as an SUV wooshes by me at over 160. You never seen any police patrolling or stopping anyone.
Hilltops are covered with small 16th century towns and villages.
Everything I've seen in pictures about the Italian countryside proved to be true and even more!
A very bumpy ride crossing through the mountains. You can hear Juan in the background politely reminding me to be quiet as he takes the video.
We rented an Airbnb in Vicopisano 30 kms from Pisa. Supposedly it had been owned by a baron but we kind of laughed it off. Well, it sits in the town square and is probably the most ominous house on the plaza. It has since been turned into apartments. We had the bottom floor, a two-bedroom. The bathroom measures 6 x 6 meters. It must have been a room at one time and later indoor plumbing was installed. Some fancy furnishings and some paintings. Day two we got a chance to hang out for a while and we realized the story of the baron was on the bookshelf.
The drive to Pisa was 30 minutes and we had an opportunity to pass through some small towns along the way. I wasn't impressed with the Tower of Pisa and it's surrounding buildings. It is as though they bleached the facades and with all the green grass, although very beautiful to look as if we were in Disneyland. Thousands of tourists (yes, we are those tourists) all looking for that famous "hold up the tower with one hand". Tourist packages were up to 50 Euros depending on what you wanted to see or crawl on. We took the best route and walked the fortress wall that is 3 km long. Once we reached the end at Rio Amo, we went down to street level and walked back through the city. We passed the Normal Superior School for teachers. They were planning a demonstration for the 20th of March. I really wanted to stay another day to see how it panned out.
Romulus and Remus nursing on Lupa the wolf who found and raised them. Later, a childless paesant couple took over as parents. Legend says they had trouble deciding where Rome should be built. In the end, Romulus killed Remus. A very good story I read in my high school Latin classes.
The man, holding up the tower! It took over two hundred years to build. Can you imagine. In the initial announcement about the construction, people were very excited. As the years passed they would walk by and think, "they'll never finish, too much bureaucracy". Some would never see it end and some that did see the end probably didn't understand what all the hoopla was about.
On our trip to Spain we had Neverita our friend who kept things cold. After an exhaustive search we were unable to find a styrofoam cooler thinking they aren't available in Italy. We were recommened to a chain store called Maury's. It's similar to a Dollar Store but mega in size.
That's where we found our new handy friend Maury. It cost us 11 Euros but is collapsable and we can take it home in our suitcase. We also purchased some ice bricks, four for 3 Euros. He's doing a great job so far and even better than Neverita wherever she may be!
Nest stop is Milan.
