Welcome to Italy!
All our travelers arrived safe & sound this morning, split into two groups - some just after midnight & some before breakfast. We all rendezvoused at the group's overnight hotel close to the airport, then after breakfast we began our sightseeing.
Our journey today took us from the 'Roman Riviera' to Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance & the Italian language. Along the way we made two stops, to get a small taste of two of Tuscany's classic hill towns - the city of Siena & the small village of San Gimignano.
We took a walk through both, stopping in Siena to see views of the city's skyline, to view the exterior of the huge Duomo (cathedral), & to take in the almost fiesta-like atmosphere of the central Campo, the main square. There was even a chance to view the head & thumb of St. Catherine of Siena.
After a quick lunch we regrouped & headed back to our bus.
Next stop was San Gimignano, famed for its remaining medieval tower houses. The village was crammed to bursting with Italians enjoying the last day of their Easter holiday weekend, but we battled through the crowds to Piazza Duomo & Piazza Cisterna before a short break for gelato, shopping or enjoying the views over the countryside.
The crowds of Italians proved a major problem as we made our way the relatively short distance to Florence (30+ miles), the usually under one hour journey taking over three hours! But everyone remained cheerful & we made a quick check-in & dropped-off our bags before heading out to a delayed dinner, our first group dinner of the tour.
After dinner we strolled back to the hotel, taking a short detour across the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). The magic of Florence soon worked its wonders on us & the talk was not of today's late arrival but of making an early start tomorrow to climb the cathedral's dome or bell tower for city views.
Tomorrow: Florence in Depth
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