Hello World: Tuscany Tour

Since arriving in Italy every day has been an adventure, mostly because I have nothing planned ahead of time which leads to things getting tricky. It is definitely getting closer to tourist season here, I can tell because hostels are getting harder and harder to come by for reasonable rates. The lack of hostels is the only reason I didn't stay in Venice and Cinque Terre longer, because both of those places now own a piece of my heart, but when there is no where to sleep you must move on. Which is how I wound up on an extended stay in Pisa!

Pisa, obviously know for the leaning town, was actually much different than I expected. The city is fairly small and is actually much less touristy than most places I have visited, which is nice. The tower and the other main monuments were all right next to my hostel, which was actually one of the most wonderful hostels I have had so far, so when I got into town I decided to see the rest of the city first and started walking. In about 4 hours I had been to most sections of the city, and when I later looked up sights to see in Pisa it turned out I had visited them all.

The riverfront was simple and nice, there is a beautiful old church along the water and a lot of interesting architecture and building façades dotted throughout the city. Also, as is the trend in Italy, there were more churches than you could count. I walked into one that was just off of a nice square and it was the scariest church I have ever seen. There were almost no lights or windows, the ceilings were two stories high, and aside from some imposing religious artifacts and pews it was basically empty. When I walked in it actually took my breath away and I had to leave before taking 10 steps. It was a more medieval style church, and it definitely personified the darker side of the church during those times.

After realizing I had seen most of the sights in Pisa I decided to take the opportunity to try and see some of the nearby sights as week, so the next day I took the train out to Siena to explore. The city is unlike anywhere I have seen in Italy, it has the feeling of a town in England but with very Roman influences. There are brick and stone building everywhere, with narrow streets and grand squares, and of course churches everywhere. The biggest square in the city actually hosts horse races twice a year, which gives you an idea of just how big it really is. The churches here were much more interesting than many places I have been- each one I went into was so simple yet hosted such amazing art and had so much character. The best part of Siena for me were the touches of whimsy all over the city, there were street lights boasting dragon motifs and even a unicorn fountain! It was wonderful to spend the day and I am sure even better to stay for a while.

At my hostel I met a wonderful girl, Ineke, and together with the hostel owner and his family we went out of drinks and had a wonderful time. We drank very strong beer (7.5%), ate great food, and stayed up late talking and singing. The fact that Queen is popular all over the world really warms my heart. Ineke and I took a day trip to nearby Lucca together, and again the city has such a wonderful and unique character. The city still has it's medieval walls, which were built so wide that now you can walk all the way around the city on them while enjoying parks that are actually on top of the walls. This particular city is a bit smaller than others I have been to, but it was still so full of character, and of course churches. We wandered most of the day, but eventually made out way to the central square, which is actually a circle, and it was absolutely beautiful. Near the square there is also a tower with a bit of a park on top, and you can climb up to get the full view of the city. From that vantage point it is really beautiful, and looking down to see the walls and all of the church bell towers was a wonderful experience. Such a nice place to get lost and chat the day away.