After a full breakfast we left Venice and made our way to
Pisa, located in the western Tuscany region of Italy. Our drive took us through
serene landscapes – rolling hills and vineyards. We saw Cyprus trees, Medieval “hilltop”
villages, and castle ruins.
On our way, we made a stop at an AutoGrill (sort of like a
rest area with a restaurant and convenience store along the autostrada) for
lunch. Some had gathered some bread,
meat and cheese at the breakfast buffet and had a picnic on the curb.
In Pisa, we visited the Piazza dei Miracoli (the Field of
Miracles). On the piazza rests four impressive buildings: the breathtaking
Duomo (cathedral) – the bell tower (Leaning Tower) – the Camposanto (Holy Field
– cemetery) and the circular Battistero (Baptistery). We were able to enter the
Duomo during our visit. We were also able to pose in front of the Leaning Tower
in various positions making it appear we were holding it up or pushing it down.
The visit to the Camposanto was interesting. It is said the cemetery was built
around a shipload of sacred soil from Golgotha brought to Pisa from the Fourth
Crusades. 
Making our way to and from the Leaning Tower we were
approached by peddlers trying to sell us an umbrella for 5 Euro. I don’t think
anyone in our group made a purchase but it was interesting to see who was
approached.
Boarding the bus with a few sprinkles in the air we made our
way to Florence. We checked in at the Embassy Hotel in Florence. The hotel was
quite nice. Checking in to the room we discovered that the room key was
inserted in a device in the wall. This allowed you to have electricity. Once it
was removed from the wall device, everything turned off.
After a few moments to prepare for dinner we walked to La
Grotta di Leo. Our starter was grilled radicchio with scamorza cheese. I will
not be adding this to my list of favorite recipes! Most gave it a taste. For our main dish was rolled beef with
percorino cheese and vegetables. Okay. Then, the tiramisu. Uhmmm! Wonderful!
Walking back to the room – we called it a day and made
ourselves ready for a full day in Florence.
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