This is one of our first entries since back in 2018 (pre Covid GASP). In the foreseeable future, posts will likely be a mix of entries, jumping around different trips across the past seven years*

Day: 9 (29th July 2018)

Total distance travelled: 17,544.87 kilometres (10,901.87 miles)

An early morning rise had us walking to a pre-arranged collection point where ourselves, and a random assortment of other tourists gathered, waiting for a bus to collect us and take us on today’s adventure.

We’d on the spur of the moment the evening before, signed ourselves up to a day trip from Firenze (Florence), to visit the nearby Tuscan towns of Pisa, San Gimignano & Siena.

The bus came, we grabbed ourselves a seat and were whisked out of town.

About 20 minutes later we realised.

That very same morning, we had already (from back home in Australia) booked & paid for tickets to visit the Uffizi!

Yet here we were, two morons who had completely forgotten we already had plans, and were suddenly, well out of town.

There’d be no Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” or any of the other incredible artworks this morning, nor the chance to see Michelangelo’s “David”, to which we also had tickets for later that same day.

To say we were pissed off was an understatement, as there’d be zero chance of getting tickets for the following day at such last minute, and it was completely & utterly our own fault!

We fumed for a while, then figured, there was nothing we could do, we were headed to some wonderful locations anyway, so why let it spoil our day?

So that was our headspace, with the skies somewhat reflecting our mood, as we arrived in Pisa.

I’m not sure if ours was an earlier busload than other tours, but it was surprisingly, not yet swamped.

In hindsight, I’m unsure of what I expected, but the vibrant green lawns and clean white marble everywhere, certainly weren’t it.

Nice to be able to say I’d seen it, but it was funny as all hell watching people pose for photographers in that mock “I’m holding up the tower” pose.

Out of context, it really just looked like bad dance moves…

Truth was, there wasn’t actually a lot for us to do here, as the time allowed by the tour was more than ample.

For a time, the Sun emerged, so we lounged on the grass, twiddling our thumbs until it was time to saddle up once more and head to the next destination.

By the time that moment arrived, the area around Pisa was a morass of people.

The throng of tourists had arrived!

The next part of our day was quite lovely, the route taking us through the lovely Tuscan countryside.

Rolling hills, green vineyards, and ancient terracotta towns & fortresses dotting the high points of the horizon.

One of these high points, was San Gimignano itself, after about an hour or so on the road.

Like an ancient Manhattan, it’s ancient towers, at least from afar, looked like stone high rise towers, and within its ancient walls, we had more free time to wander.

The day had warmed up, and when you see a sign that suggests “The Best Icecream in the World”, part of you thinks “Bullshit!” whilst in the back of the mind another voice says “Well, how can I know if I don’t try it?”

That’s how, mere minutes later, we were licking away at a gelato from Gelateria Dondoli.

It was delicious, but best in the world? Well, who were we to argue!?

This UNESCO World Heritage listed town (I don’t think I mentioned that earlier, it’s another one along with Pisa & Siena which was still to come) was a really cool place to explore.

It’s narrow streets feeling truly ancient, and once away from the crowds in the Piazza della Cisterna (clearly all thronging for ice cream), it was easy to feel almost alone.

We were lured through a narrow doorway by the promise of cheese, where within, a couple was sampling some morsels, and the lady in attendance eventually offered us a taste as well.

Who were we to say no, and next thing we knew we were gobbling cheese, and asking if we could try this one, or that one.

Her patience quickly wore thin, and she curtly snapped that we couldn’t sample any further without payment.

It turns out the other folks had paid for a tasting, and we’d blindly interrupting, thinking it was a chance for a free sample!

We turned tail, and slunk away.

We found ourselves, along with several other tour guests, waiting at the allocated collection point, well ahead of time, so we were more than ready to move on by the time our coach arrived.

Another half an hour or so through this gorgeous region had us at Siena, yet another gorgeous city on a hill!

It was a much nicer afternoon than the morning had been, although the sky was never a clear blue, a thin hazy always lingered.

Siena itself was busy, although nothing like it would have been several weeks earlier, when the Palio di Siena horse race took place (there was also a 2nd race coming up in a couple of weeks on my birthday to be precise).

I didn’t know much about it, but have most certainly seen footage of the somewhat crazy looking horse race, where bare backed riders race around the cities Piazza del Campo, the horses hooves scrambling for grip on the sandy course, 90 degree turns…

If you want to check out a clip of the race, click HERE (this was the race a couple of weeks later).

The participants are all representatives of the cities 17 contrades (districts), in which only 10 race every year (the 10 being the 7 who did not race the previous year, plus 3 other drawn randomly).

It certainly looks a colourful affair should you ever get to see it!

A short distance away, and we were at the gorgeous Duomo di Siena with its gorgeous facade.

Inside, it’s supposed to have an equally impressive interior, however, we baulked at the cost, so instead admired it from afar.

I, with all my architectural knowledge (or lack thereof) thought it looked gothic, but apparently it is officially Tuscan Romanesque.

Beside the church stands what looks a ruin of sorts, but in actuality, it’s an extension to the existing nave, apparently halted in the 14th century when the Black Death tore through the area, and never completed.

These days you can climb it for a fee, but again, we declined.

We grabbed ourselves a beer to share, then began to wander a few of the back streets, admiring the funky, almost jesters hat light like fixtures above the paths.

The appeared to be painted in different colours, which I can only assume represented the 17 contrade…

Suddenly, we heard the banging of drums, like the approach of a military parade.

The sound was real, as was the parade, but military it was not.

Bedecked in colourful costumes, this posse of young folk (they all appeared to be male) were on parade.

We assumed it was something to do with the Palio di Siena, and later discovered (thanks Google) that this particular group were representing contrade Torre.

I’m a rookie at this, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t win…

Still, it was pretty novel to see, and a nice way to wrap up our outing on a day when we’d screwed up, but still managed to make the best of it!

* Our open jaw (into Rome, out of Amsterdam), flights cost us $930.05AUD each, which I found and purchased through work at STA Travel

* Our day trip from Florence to Pisa, San Gimignano & Siena was purchased from a local agency & cost us €40 per person.