Italy- Part 1 Tuscany (Pisa, Verona, Volterra and San Gimignano)

Yeah! Time for another travel post! Besides Rand and my trip across the pond to see family, I was getting cabin fever and ready to travel again! We planned a week long trip to Italy to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. We also enjoyed the thought of trading a Thanksgiving day turkey for some amazing Italian food. ;)

I found some great plane tickets through Ryanair out of Frankfurt Hahn to Pisa. I knew the weather wasn't going to be the greatest but wanted to explore the coast and spend time in Cinque Terra. We were also interested in spending a couple days in Tuscany and just relax... and I came across an adorable villa on AirBnB that I just had to see! 

After arriving in Pisa, we went to go pick up our car rental. I booked through Ryanair (usually I go through our insurance company to get the best deal) and will never do that again. They had all these hidden fees and was just annoyed with the company BUT the car was great and we got a great price on using a car seat for Rand. We put all our luggage in the car but left it in the lot to run over and get a throw pic in front of the leaning tower. We jumped on a bus from the Pisa Aiport to the train station to get on another bus to the "Torre" stop to get our pic. We later figured out we could of just stayed on the original bus ride to get there instead of switching buses at the train station. The Red Line and bus #21 both go to the Pisa Airport, Pisa Train Station and the "Torre" stop to see the leaning tower. Also, remember to validate your bus ticket when getting on the bus.

We headed back to the car and drove to our villa in Tuscany. I found this adorable villa on AirBnB which was about 30 minutes away from Pisa and just shy of an hour away from Florence. The owner, Chiara was super sweet and welcoming. Her husband owns a vineyard and is a winemaker. They have two children and living on the property are 3 dogs, 2 pigs, and an adorable pony. We had such great stay there. We were there for 2 full days before heading back to Pisa to catch a train to Cinque Terra. 

The first day we headed to Florence by train. We went out of Pontedera and the ride was under an hour.  We went to Florence back in 2013 when I was pregnant with Rand. I just had to do a throw-back pic of my baby belly and now with a 2.5 year old. 

 We didn't have any big plans for Florence except to shop... which I have to admit I was kind of disappointed with. I was on the hunt for a new wallet but ended up not getting one, BUT I did get a gorgeous silver bracelet from my hubs at the Ponte Vecchio. We wandered around the Piazza della Signoria, Piazza del Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio till around 5 which is when we headed back to the train station.

The next day we headed off to two smaller cities, Volterra and San Gimignano. The drive throughout Tuscany was just stunning. We took our time and made frequent stops to enjoy the views. Also, keep an eye out for small vineyards to buy bottles of wine or olive oil. You can spot many wine tasting spots all over Tuscany. 

Volterra is a charming medieval town in central Tuscany, It may sound familiar to some because it was home to the Volturi's in the Twilight series. It was a darling little city surrounded by big stone walls on the top of a hill. Volterra is known for its alabaster and the city has a few good shops filled with some beautiful alabaster artwork.

I can not recommend highly enough Il Pozzo Degli Etruschi Di Caciagli Paolo for a meal. The staff were very welcoming and the food was absolutely delicious. I especially enjoyed the wild boar stewed in chocolate sauce with pine nuts. 

Next, we headed 40 minutes northeast to San Gimignano. Known as the "city of beautiful towers", 72 towers once stood looking down over Tuscany's Elsa Valley. Now only 14 towers remain in this medieval city. This is much more of a tourist spot than Volterra with gift shops at every corner.

The San Gimignano Duomo, or Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, is a gorgeous church where the walls are completely covered with paintings. One wall is dedicated to the Old Testament and the other wall dedicated to the life of Jesus. 

Part 2 of our Italy trip in Cinque Terre is here

Verona, Venice and Florence! Oh my!

I think we have done a pretty good job at making the best out of living in Germany and traveling as much as possible. Being pregnant has not stopped our traveling but has slowed us down a bit. We decided to go on another USO trip because having a clean (and free) bathroom on the road is a must for a pregnant woman. We also love having a tour guide with us the whole time. We met at 4am to board the bus and traveled all day across Switzerland to Italy. We arrived in Italy in the evening and after checking in to our hotel (Hotel Aries in Vicenza) we ventured out to Verona for a few hours.

 

After a delicious breakfast we boarded back on the bus for a short ride to the port where we boarded a small boat to go to St. Mark's Square in Venice. As we were getting closer to the city my heart was pounding from excitement! I was really in Venice! Everywhere I turned, the sights were amazing! The architecture and the elaborate costumes of the Carnevale! It was all breathtaking. After a short potty break we met our local guide who showed us the impressive and historic sights of Venice: St. Mark's Cathedral, the Ducal Palace, the Bell Tower, St. Mark's Square, the Bridge of Sighs, and much more. After the tour we met up with a couple from our group for lunch and split a gondola ride. The price was 80 euros for 40 minutes ($108!!!) so splitting it up with another couple was a little better of a price to swallow. After our ride we ventured off on our own through the canals and bridges to get lost in the city.

 

The next morning we went to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, one of the most prolific periods of arts and culture. We met up with another local city guide who showed us some of the breathtaking buildings and works of art such as the Duomo and the Baptistery, and the Basilica of Santa Croce with the tombs of Michelango, Macchiavelli, and Galileo. On the Piazza di Signoria, we saw a replica of Michelangelo's David where it had originally been located. After our tour we went off on our own to get a bite to eat and visit all the shops. Florence is full of gold shops, leather goods, and large open-air markets that offer straw goods, embroidery, silver, and more souvenirs. I was in heaven :)

 

Ciao Italy!