I often hear parents say: "well you know how it is, travelling with kids..." when explaining their fatigue, or forgotten items, or short temper, but I don't. Olivier entertains himself when it's time for me to pack. And, as I plan every outfit, this can take a lot of time. He goes to bed early the night before, understanding that he needs to wake up without a hitch the next day, and he gets himself ready. This year, he was so focused "so that I can help put the luggage in the elevator, mom".
Heading to the airport, he was full of cheerful banter and questions about the places that we're heading....As always, as if it was for the first time, I fall in love with my son over and over again....what a nice way to start a vacation.
Didier is not too bad too. Master driver no matter where we go. King of direction. King of the pool. He balanced out my otherwise nesting tendencies and made sure we were out exploring our surroundings and experiencing the beauty that we came to see.
So, where did we go? What did we see? What did we enjoy? Here are the highlights:
We entered Pisa proper a little after 9 After settling into our hotel, we headed out on foot to see the sights and to take the "mandatory" shot of "holding up" the tower. By 10:30 we were having a "brunch" of sorts. The boys, a pizza each, and me, a salad with bresola. We headed back to the hotel, for a nap, then headed out again for an early dinner and an evening view of the monument.
The next day, we headed to the walled city of Lucca. We biked along the charming city streets, and the wall itself. We also climbed a couple of bell towers to take in the breeze, had lunch and then headed off along the back roads toward Montenero where we met up with the LR's, and stayed at Pian del Colombaio, a 300 year old farmhouse, restored into self catering apartments with a lovely, lovely view.
| Fresh Produce - Yummy! |
Didier was always the first and last one in the pool. He jumped in before breakfast and took a midnight dip every night to enjoy the stars in the vast, open sky.
Olivier was always the last one up, and spent all day in the pool whenever we stayed on the property. "Harry Potter" was the daily read, with me recalling an English accent for the characters.
On our first venture out, we visited Sovana and Pitigliano, with Pitigliano being the photographer's sweetheart that day. Perhaps because we arrived at dusk, with its perfect light, but we felt apart of the daily life, as we watched young kids perform for the old, and took photos of vehicles from decades gone by.
| View of Pitigliano |
Our next excursion took us to St. Gimigiano and Siena, and was coordinated by V and little Sienna!
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| San Gimignano |
In Siena, we were enchanted by the cathedral and the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the town square and grand center where the Palio (horse races) takes place. Also, we had the most amazing dinner. Classic, but excellent with the best olive oil and balsamic vinegar that I had ever tasted!
We were awestricken, however, by the Renaissance town of Pienza. The Palazzo Piccolomini, home of Pope Pius II, with its enclosed Renaissance garden and spectacular views into the landscape of the Val d'Orcia and Mount Amiata, beyond, was my favorite. And the sapori per il giorno was Finocchio e Cioccolato Scuro sin latte (Fennel and dairy free Dark Chocolate)!
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| Piccolomini Gardens |
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