Every
day, we catch ourselves in that moment of wonder when we are observing another
amazing site for the first time. Thank
goodness there are no flies and mosquitoes around here to fly into our gaping
mouths!
We
once again started an early morning with a light breakfast delivered to our
room before boarding the coach to take us on our tour. We quickly met our tour guide, Luca, whose
goal is not just to show us around, but to teach us some of the language and
culture of the area. For the short 30
minute ride from Livorno to Pisa, we learned some of the necessities of the Italian
language such as r-r-r-r-olling our r’s and using the appropriate hand gestures
to help deliver the message (anything from “do you think I’m crazy!” to “I
really mean it!”).
When
we arrived in Pisa, we sauntered along the city streets from the bus parking
lot to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Luca
shared historical information about the tower and left us to free time for
about an hour. We took several pictures
of the Tower, the Baptistry, and the Cathedral.
It was a perfect morning and we were one of only about three tour groups
to be there at 8:30am.
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| The Leaning Tower of Pisa behind us. It is leaning at about 14 degrees. |
After
Pisa, the coach toured us along the countryside toward the Tuscan region. Along the way, we saw fields of corn,
sunflowers and hay. We arrived at the
Tenuta Torciano winery (established in 1720) near San Gimignano to start the
“real work” of wine tasting. We were
welcomed by members of the Giachi family and began tasting a variety of red
wines, a white and a dessert wine. In
addition, they produce very high quality cold press olive oil, a peppered oil,
white truffle oil and 30 year old balsamic vinegar. All were combined with small samples of
bread, crackers, cheese, salami and salad so we could appreciate how the
flavours complemented each other, or not so much. During the tasting of each of the wines, the
owner’s son who was leading the tasting would emphasize any point he was trying
to make with “Halleluiah, halleluiah, halleluiah!” They certainly knew how to market their
products and keep us all engaged in the event!
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| A glimpse from our wine tasting. |
We
all had our share of wine by early afternoon, so it was time to travel the
short distance into San Gimignano. This
little picturesque town is what everyone thinks of when they imagine Tuscany. The steep, narrow streets are lined with
speciality shops, bakeries, and restaurants. Side streets lead to quaint flats
overlooking the rolling hills and vineyards and often had a potted plant or two
on the window sills. I checked out
(meaning bought) some beautiful leather purses at a shop that Luca recommended,
and there was nothing better than speciality gelatos to cool ourselves off a bit
on such a warm day before the 90 minute ride back to the ship.
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| A perfect little picture of the narrow streets and terra cotta potted plants adorning the homes |
We
can honestly say that this tour and our fabulous guide, Luca, were among the
best we have ever had. I also have his contact information for future contact. Luca also does private tours for groups up to six.
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| Thank you, Luca, for an amazing tour! |