We leaned into the day

Another bright sunny day, not too hot and not too windy. Perfect - as we're starting to expect. We set out in our trusty coach, driven by our handsome driver Giacomo and arrived in Pisa before the main crowds descended. This time we didn't have to walk into "town" as we did in Florence, but took our own little train on wheels to the edge of the market area. It was a short stroll along the city wall until we saw the Piazza of Miracles. Therein we found the baptistry, the cathedral and that famous tower.

I have no idea how this perspective came to be. The angle of the tower is wrong and 
the baptistry on the left, while having a slight tilt, is not trying to be like the tower.

We me our guide Ricardo and were not only kept informed of all the history we needed, but also kept laughing all the time. He hates Florence and uses every opportunity to say so, in so many ways. Whether or not that's how he really feels about the nearby city, he does love Pisa.

Ricardo keeping us amused and educated simultaneously

As usual the cathedral and its various components took a long time to build, using the almost local carrera marble, and other stones. It's quite a wonder all to itself.

In case you needed proof that I really was there

Only a few of our group actually climbed the 294 steps to the top. It's a circular staircase, sloped of course, worn steps and no banister. I was not among the few as my hip was very direct in its objections. So, I stay on the flat, wandered down the local street with three other tour members, and had a fabulous lunch at La Bottega (I think). That limoncello was definitely NOT a mocktail. We blamed the later staggering on the cobblestones.

But the best was yet to come. After gathering at our designated meeting point, we completed a short walk to the stop where we were met by our favourite blue wheeled train, and driven to our waiting coach. It was about a 40-minute drive to paradise. This place was the way I imagine Tuscany to be. The property was hilly, had a fabulous yellow home with green shutters, and was surrounded by walkways lined with roses and other flowers, vineyards, olive grove and personal market garden.

As if that wasn't enough, we sat down to a feast of olive oil, focaccia, focaccia with tomato sauce, all kinds of savoury treats that I don't recall the names of, a sort of fruit punch, water and more or less all the wine we could drink. Hey - my limoncello hadn't even worn off yet! The feast was topped off with a dessert wine into which we dipped our biscotti which were called something else, maybe cannotti? or not!

I could not resist buy some of their olive oil, and someone in the group got and shared the recipe for their fabulous dish, referred to as soup, but more like an amazing dip that was AMAZING on bread dipped in olive oil. 

We were then driven, reluctantly, back to our hotel where dinner was served a couple of hours later. This is our last of four nights at the Hotel Atlantico, and while it's very clean and the food was good, I won't miss the tiny room and the shower in which the water temperature varied from very hot to very chilly about every 15 seconds. The floor of the shower had ridges which didn't keep it from being slippery, and the shower itself was not spacious. 

Tomorrow we head to Rome and a new set of adventures. We've been promised some fun stops along the way.