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We send a couple of emails while on our whirlwind tour
of Europe
Buon Giorno d´Italia.
We have spent a fascinating week in Italy. In Milan we climbed
to the roof of the pink granite Duomo from where we viewed the
city and the distant Alps from amongst its 131 spires. We
visited Castello Sforzesco, an old fortification now housing
several museums specializing in antiquities, weapons, decorative
arts and musical instruments. We especially enjoyed learning
about 19 th Century instruments such as the hurdy gurdy and the
serpentone.
From there we travelled to Florence through Bologna and past
pretty landscapes of hillsides dotted with brick farmhouses and
surrounded by fields of wild red poppies. Florence is a frenetic
tourist destination. Even in early May the narrow winding
streets are thronging with visitors from all over the world. We
even saw busloads of Japanese brides having their wedding photos
taken in various scenic spots. The appeal of the place is
understandable. The Medici dynasty left an amazing legacy of
architectural delights and artistic collections. No matter where
you are, there are treasures on every street of buildings,
frescoes and statues. The Uffizi gallery rivals the Louvre with
its collection tracing the artistic history of Medieval
(Brunelleschi, Giotto), Renaissance (Botticelli, Leonardo), and
Mannerist (Cellini, Bronzini) art. The Academia is a former art
school now housing Michelangelo statues, Leonardo Monaco
paintings and a vast collection of religious art (most entitled
Madonna and Child with Saints or some variation.) Santa Croce
cathedral is the burial place of famous Florentines such as
Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and Dante.
We hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a view over the domes
and spires of Florence and beyond to the Tuscan hills where the
olive groves, cypress trees and vineyards surround gold-stuccoed
villas.
From Florence we took the train to Siena, a walled medieval town
built on seven hills. With its tiled roofs and clay-baked
facades it is considered Tuscany´s prettiest city. The focal
point is Piazza del Campo, an immense semi-circular plaza
anchored by the Torre de Mangia bell tower and site of the
famous Palio horse races (their 350 th anniversary is this
year). The races last only minutes on two days a year but are
surrounded by pageantry of flag throwing, drumming, and ornate
costumes. Siena´s Duomo is home to masterpieces by Michelangelo,
Bernini and Donatello, as well as the busts of 171 popes.
Siena served as a great base from which to take local buses to
explore the surrounding countryside. We travelled to San
Gigmignano past pretty farms and gardens, hillside villas,
hilltop fortresses, baronial castles and walled villages. San
Gigmignano, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a medieval fortress
town which was a rest stop for pilgrims during the middle ages.
We also travelled through the walled towns of Lucignano and
Monteriggioni to Arezzo. Arezzo was largely rebuilt after World
War II, but still has the typical Tuscan Duomo, piazzas and
fortified ramparts. It was interesting to see that citizens of
Arezzo had indicated the costs of various restoration projects
in the multi-millions of Euros. Everywhere we went in Tuscany,
massive restoration projects were underway. We found it hard to
take photos without getting scaffolding and cranes into every
shot.
Our trip through Tuscany ended in Pisa. It was fun to see the
Leaning Tower (Terre Pendente), the Duomo and the Baptistery in
the Campo dei Miracoli, and some of the other pretty buildings
such as the Gothic Santa Maria della Sina church and the Scuola
Normale Superiore, but apart from these, we found Pisa a bit too
touristy and full of scams for our liking. From the 11 th to the
13th Centuries, Pisa dominated the Meditteranean, but the
silting of the Arno River and the damage of the wars has left it
a bit run-down. It typified for us our observation of Italy as a
place with fabulous monuments and broken-down public
infrastructure (except for the trains and highways which were
great).
We´ve been quite entertained by people watching. The Italians
are gorgeous, dressed in elegant suits and fantastic shoes as
they ride their scooters, or stroll hand in hand down the
street. They window shop at the tiny elegant specialty shops
such as the profumeria, cappalleria, libreria, and gioielleria,
and snack on their iconic Italian foods from the pizzeria and
gelateria. They really do say "Mama Mia" and "prego, prego" and
do that waggle hand gesture while talking to themselves, to
others or on their cell phones. Italian TV is great fun with
cable channels from Berlin, London and Dubai and more channels
in German than in Italian.
Just as we´re feeling comfortable with the culture and language
it is time to move on to something new. An early morning flight
takes us from Pisa to Barcelona, for a week in Spain.
Arrividerci,
Erich, Carol and Jordan
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