The day prior to Rome, we visited Firenze (Florence), Pisa and traveled through Tuscany.
Tuscany is a glorious part of the world!
Florence is packed with history, and our tour made an effort to show us as much as possible within our limited time frame. We viewed the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery, the Campanile Bell Tower and more.
After lunch, we rode through the Tuscan countryside. While most of the tourists slept, I took a few pictures. It is absolutely gorgeous, stunning, whatever complimentary word you want to use for it is accurate.
Upon arrival at Pisa, we had to walk for a bit then visited Miracle Square. We went in the Baptistery, the Cathedral and viewed the Bell Tower, aka “Leaning Tower.” It’s as awesome as you might expect.
When we talk about these cathedrals, left unsaid is the amount of art work inside. Amazing. Simply stunning. Paintings, sculptures and carvings. The use of marble is amazing.
Completely flooring me is the age of some of these buildings. They are hundreds of years old, and they are part of the world’s history. Unfortunately many of them are suffering ill effects due to modern day industrialization.
If one is to tour Tuscany or Rome in a serious way, I suggest a seven day visit to each. That’s a solid start. Bring plenty of euros. Europe is expensive.