TUSCANY and the LAKES: Florence , Siena, San Gimignano

Days 2 – 4: Mantua, Florence, Fiesole, San Gimignano, Monteriggione, Siena

The World Heritage City of Mantua was a planned half way stop on our route to Florence, about 90 mins away from Bergamo but it was not an enjoyable drive! In fact it was so stressful, the motorways thick with juggernauts and they were always pulling out to overtake each other, forcing us onto the outside lane.Once there, we were under pressure from the speeders, roaring up behind us.The lorries driving technique was – manoeuvre, signal, mirror. Italian motorways are much narrower than ours with no hard shoulder and with barriers hard against each side of the road, so you do feel there’s no room for manoeuvre.Chris did really well in just keeping calm and getting on with things while his navigator (occasionally more like a naggivator) didn’t hide her stress quite so well.

Anyway, we finally made it to Mantua and what a fantastic sight this World Heritage Site is across the lake.

Got parked easily at Gonzago Parking, near the lake and just a ten minute walk to Piazza Sordello. Unfortunately it was market day and the large space was filled with assorted clothing and food stalls which detracted from what I’d read as being a lovely space and which our Green Guide had talked up quite a bit.Made for the Ducal Palace which was a building site with cranes and scaffolding everywhere.With 500 rooms, this grand 14th -17th century palace offered much to see( not that access is possible to all of those apartments) so ignoring the noisy works going on outside, in we went.

The Ducal Palace delivers

In contrast to the outside, the interior was absolutely magnificent. Truly mesmerising , the beauty of the frescoes, paintings and decoration was outstanding.A real wow.We easily spent at least 90 mins going through the room which were open to the public.I honestly thought it was worth visiting the city for this Palace alone.

Stunned by what we’d seen, we wandered down to Piazza Erne which was also not looking its best given market day clearing up was underway.The astrological clock was impressive but the rest of the space didn’t strike up either of us as particularly special.That said, we didn’t see it at its best.

Overall impression of Mantua: a wonderful sight across the lake on the approach, very unusual.The Palace was outstanding but the rest of the city didn’t really have an appeal that would draw us back.

To Florence

Another 2.5hrs of driving lay ahead to our Florence accommodation near Galluzzo.It was stressful and initially, mostly quite dreary driving, the Po plain very flat with a lot of light industry.However, around an hour north of the city, the landscape changed into rolling green hills with cypresses and olive groves dominating – classic Tuscany.Beautiful!

Stopped at the large Essalonga supermarket on the edge of the small town of Galluzzo which turned out to be excellent.Then we followed a winding, extremely narrow little road to our accommodation at Marignolle Flowers which Chris had booked us into for the next 3 nights. Actually we got temporarily lost and wrongly called in at the boutique Marignolle Hotel, thinking this was where our apartment was.A very friendly lady politely advised us that we were at the wrong Marignolle.Ah, so we should have taken that little left fork that we saw after all!

Marignolle Flowers

There was a large wall around our property and an extremely narrow entrance gate.An elderly man stood outside and directed us in , the car beeping frantically because we were close to grazing it on the stone pillars on each side.Yikes!

After introductions, this very polite and nice man showed us round the lower floor of a very large villa , all of which was ours.Two bedrooms – the king size quite grand, a large dining kitchen, two bathrooms.All very clean, very traditional but strangely, no sitting room.There was a covered outdoor space with chairs and table.

It turned out, we were actually in the basement level of the main house. I’d had visions of sitting out on a nice sunny terrace, enjoying a glass of wine as I enjoyed views of olive groves and the hills. Instead, we looked onto the garden wall of the main property which did indeed have lots of grounds beyond AND with an olive grove but sadly, it was all out of bounds to us. And to compound matters, all evening there were really loud voices coming from the main house. However, by 9pm things died down and it was super quiet.

Tea in bed next morning at 6am and this pattern of early to bed, early to rise continued for the rest of the holiday.Night owls, we are not though this was a bit extreme even for us in terms of bedtime at 9am! Age doesn’t come alone!

Florence revisited

There were only main three things that I wanted to see in Florence this trip, having visited the city twice before – admire the Duomo and Botticelli’s two stunningly beautiful paintings in the UFFIZI and walk to San Miniato del Monte for those famous views over the city.

Breakfast was lots of tea, toast, some prosciutto and cheese, then we packed a small rucksack with water and fruit for the day. Originally, we’d planned to take the tram into the city from Scandicci as recommended by several guidebooks but our host poo – poohed this, given that we had the car.
Instead, following his instructions , we drove 5km along an incredibly narrow, twisting but quiet backroad (passing three cars at most) to Porta Romana where there was plenty of secure parking for 2 euros per hour.We don’t mind paying for convenient, controlled parking in busy European cities so this was perfect and worked really well.

The streets were so quiet (it was around 7.45am) as we strolled towards the city centre and past the Pitti Palace.In 20 mins, we were at the Ponte Vecchio, the jewellery shops which crowd the bridge, still closed.

Then through exterior of the UFFIZI and into the grand, impressive Piazza di Signoria.

There were very few tourists about, though quite a few vans were dropping off or picking up goods, the delivery drivers looking very busy.The city was getting itself going for another hectic day ahead.

Lattes and croissants called, so we headed off to the Piazza del Duomo for that, the most famous space of all.

THE DUOMO

Two mins walk took us to the Duomo where we took in the simply jaw dropping view  of Brunelleschi’s dome and that incredible green, white and pink striped marble exterior.

The carvings, the detail…it was actually far grander and more overwhelming than I remembered. It must rank as one of the most stunning buildings in the world, up there(for me) with the Alhambra and , although I know it’s almost not comparable , New York’s Chrysler Building which I’ve always thought is amazing.

Coffee forgotten, we walked round the whole building, just drinking in the grandeur and beauty.It was still very quiet though we knew that wouldn’t last. Tempted slightly by the Bell Tower and Dome being open and no queue – having a tower to climb is usually catnip to me – but today, I just didn’t feel like clambering up 400+ steps. Chris was mightily relieved as he has followed me up all sorts of endless spiral stairs to viewpoints over buildings and cities!

Cafe Scadieri

Instead, it was time to decide on a cafe and as ever, I was lured by location.

Cafe Scadieri is quite a famous cafe and was perfectly situated as I wanted to enjoy the Duomo view for as long as possible. Who would want to sit in a backstreet when that view is on offer? Our lattes were good (though neither of us are coffee aficionados as such.) My chocolate croissant was a bit too chilled and not quite as good as in Bergamo but still tasty enough and quickly demolished.By now, the crowds were starting to build.

Next stop was Piazza Republica but firstly, I wanted to check out where the Grom Ice Cream shop was as I had read it was one of Florence’s top gelato places.In fact, it was very close and in a small side street off the Piazza Duomo.

A Rooftop Cafe with a View

The plan now was to visit Rinacente, an upmarket department store with a 4th floor terrace cafe which reputedly gave great views over the Duomo complex.I’d also read that competition for the few tables with this view was fierce!

Bang on 10am when it opened, as if a starter gun had gone off, we raced through the newly opened doors, desperately searching for the lift. As there were entrance doors all round the store, I expected there to be rivals for the prized seats emerging from all corners, people whizzing up the elevators and stairs to the 4th floor.Thankfully, today, it was only us and a family who also had the same idea.What an undignified , daft bunch we must have looked, bombing past the Dior and Tom Ford counters, looking a bit frantic.

Anyway, we were first in the queue at the cafe entrance and soon shown to a table for two in pole position – with a stunning vista of the Duomo.We sat admiring it, enjoying the pleasantly warm sunshine. Oddly, it was only the tables for 2 that had the best, unobstructed views.The family behind us had to make do with sitting much further back.

I suppose that’s one of the joys of off peak travel…I’m sure later in the season there would be, as I’d read, a long queue to secure a top spot here.

More eating, one of the many joys of a holiday.Chris had some tasty toast with ham and cheese; pretty good pistachio cake for me. And tea. Very relaxing to be above the hubbub of the city, enjoying the balmy 19C temperature and well worth it for that Duomo view.

The UFFIZI

This had to be a short stop however, as we had pre booked tickets for the UFFIZI at 10.45am so it was soon time to walk round and pick them up.

As expected, the galleries were busy but overall not too bad.

It was very easy to find the Botticelli Rooms (signage has improved a lot since our last visit) and sure enough, there were large clusters of people admiring the Primavera and Birth of Venus.

But folk tended to move on fairly quickly and soon, we were in pole position to enjoy these exquisite works of art. There is something about the beautiful faces, the effect of the egg tempura paint , the pale, delicate colouring,  still so light and fresh….I’m absolutely bowled over by them. I dabble in a bit of amateurish oil painting and pastels and love visiting Art Galleries wherever we go.But of course, this one is top notch.

Apparently, there are 128 different types of flowers identifiable in Primavera.I often wonder why so much modern art (to me) is not as inspiring or gorgeous as that produced in the distant past.

The rest of what were once the offices of the ruling Medici family were superb too. There were incredible sculptures, some Leonardo da Vinci works, an exquisite Michelangelo which was very reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel images.

The UFFIZI ceilings were also a wonder.What a place! It really is a must see in Florence, even for the building alone.

Back to Grom for ice creams – two scoops each: Pear and Pistachio for me; Vanilla/ Rum and Raisin for Chris.It was good though not quite as delicious as some of the Italian café vanilla ice cream at home.There are many Italians in Scotland still running traditional cafes and they often do really wonderful ice cream, usually served with bright red raspberry sauce.Their recipes are closely guarded secrets – even the serving staff don’t know them.

I’d also been reading about how so much ice cream sold today is full of additives – xanthan gum and other bizarre , artificial ingredients – which means it doesn’t melt easily.That’s why so many cafes now have their products stacked up high into great, whipped mounds. Visually, very appealing but the ‘real deal ‘ has to be kept in lidded, cold metal tubs. Grom did this, I noticed.

San Miniato al Monte

Fortified with the add on of a few plums and oranges, off we headed to San Miniato al Monte, about a 25 min walk.

It was very warm now and the route is mostly uphill.It was also signposted which was a help though you can see the church sitting high above Florence to the south east.In fact, we JUST made it before they closed at 1pm.Well worth the sloggy, uphill walk, it was absolutely beautiful inside with gorgeous frescoes.Reminiscent of some of the decoration in Palermo’s Cappella Palatina.

And of course, that wonderful city view.

Walked back via the Viale deli Colli, a nice pedestrian path which took us back in about 40 mins to Porto Romana.

13 euros charge for 6 hours parking…I think we did ok with that.

Florence’s key attractions are stunning but one day felt enough for us now.The crowds really do build quickly and must be overwhelming in high season.

Fiesole

It was only 2.30pm so we drove to Fiesole, a small hillside town overlooking the valley and 30 mins away.I’d always wanted to visit it after reading about how pretty it was but somehow we had never made the time on two past visits to Firenze.

Got parked easily just off the main piazza and discovered that Fiesole had very interesting Roman ruins including a small amphitheatre .Spent a good hour just wandering round this lovely, quiet site.7 euros each I think it was.Well worth seeing if you are interested in Roman history which we both are.

Overall, I wouldn’t say the town is a must see, but it a pleasant, quiet little place and it was nice to escape the bustle of the city.My favourite part was walking uphill to a small monastery with fine views over the Tuscan countryside.Absolute peace.

There is a wonderful view over Florence and the valley from Fiesole…

‘So, you’ve seen Fiesole- that’s another itch scratched,’ Chris remarked, driving back to our accommodation.

Picked up various things for dinner in Essalonga Supermarket, then headed up our little winding road to the villa.Chris poured us both a glass of sparkling wine and we sat out in the sun for half an hour, in the little bit of hard standing where our car was parked. That said we’d booked the trip at quite short notice and there hadn’t been a lot of property left that suited, unless we’d been prepared to pay really eye watering prices.It did feel like a very real place, if that makes sense though…it was someone’s home, or the lower part of it, in a tiny gated complex of three large old houses.We were actually surrounded by olive groves and the area was very pretty, very rural yet so handy for Florence and picking up supplies.A good choice as it turned out.

As we sat in the warm sunshine, it was now that the reason for the loud voices became clear.The house upstairs belonged to a very elderly woman.I would guess she was in her 90s, very bent but still firing orders at her (also elderly) son who was working in their olive grove.She waved at us and we waved back, ‘ buona seras’ were exchanged and all was forgiven re the loud voices of the night before.

Dinner was tasty…a cooked, cold roast chicken, our own onion and tomato salad, some good bread, green chilli olives and pickles followed by some sweet plums and oranges.

No wonder we felt tired and just wanted to relax, we ‘d racked up nearly 24,000 steps today.Once again, party animals that we are, we were asleep by 9am.

SIENA, MONTERIGGIONE, SAN GIMIGNANO

After breakfast, off we set at 7.45am with Siena as our first stop, an hour’s attractive drive away.The countryside really was lovely -iconic Tuscany with needle like cypresses lining hilltops which led to a big villa, the whole fronted by olive groves and vineyards.Everything was very green in early spring and apple blossom dotted the fields.

Parked in Parcheggio Il Campo car park; 2 euros an hour.Ten mins walk took us to Il Campo itself, that wonderful, circular piazza where the Palio takes place.Even the back of Siena’s buildings looked attractive, all golden stone topped by orange roofs.

Il Campo is quite unique in appearance, a must see, though I thought it was a bit spoiled this time by stalls which , as we sat having coffee, soon began opening up around the grand space, selling fridge magnets and football T shirts.It’s a World Heritage Site so I didn’t think stalls would be allowed. That said, it really is quite a place.

Time for our morning coffee and this time it was in another famous old cafe- Nannini.Our table was bathed in warm sunshine and what a joy to just sit and admire this superb space.

Palazzo Pubblico is the stunning Town Hall, a really beautiful building inside and out.This was the first time I’d seen the interior and it was fantastic.Wonderful frescoes and ceilings- in fact, a bit of a jaw drop.

Thought about going up the tower but wasn’t really in the mood for that, strangely – as it turned out, it was actually closed temporarily so I didn’t feel too guilty about feeling lazy.

The Duomo

I had never forgotten my first visit to Siena’s Duomo many, many years ago; it had bowled me over with its sheer, extravagant, elegant beauty.

Third time round, it didn’t disappoint! It’s quite magnificent and that was even with Florence’s amazing Duomo still fresh in my mind.

That interior of black and white striped marble…words don’t do justice in terms of describing how stunning it is. Black and white are the traditional colours of Siena.During our visit, a choir and orchestra were practising and we spent some time just listening to the beautiful singing. Very calming.

The Library was fantastically decorated too with exquisite Illuminated  manuscripts.

We’d bought the all singing – all dancing ticket to the Duomo giving us timed access to an adjacent upper gallery. This turned out to be quite fantastic, giving fabulous vistas over the Duomo , Il Campo and the city.

It was a fair old climb up but as ever with these things, so worth it.

Siena had not disappointed – what a beautiful city albeit we only made time for Il Campo and the Duomo.Again, the crowds were building quite substantially by mid morning and the net was building.I don’t think I would enjoy visiting in the summer months.We had previously been here in early November and that was a lovely time to visit, weather wise , less crowds and everything in autumn colours.

Monteriggioni

This tiny hill town looks so appealing from the road to San Gimignano, it’s difficult not to stop and visit.

We’d visited it before but just couldn’t pass it by.Monteriggione really is a picture postcard version of what a hill town should look like!

Got parked easily below the village in one of the official car parks(and managed to get one of the free spaces) then walked up the quiet little road to the ancient stone gateway.

Inside the walls, the village is essentially just one very pretty piazza lined with attractive small cafes and restaurants.After the crowds of Siena, it was heavenly and we decided spur of the moment to have lunch here.It was just too lovely not to!

Got a nice table outside Le Torre restaurant with liveried waiters, friendly service and really good, homemade food.

A little Amuse Bouche was brought first – a tasty barley broth and a first class selection of homemade bread(walnut and also olive bread) We shared a rabbit salad with honeyed walnuts as a starter.This was fancier than we’d expected with the rabbit presented as little roulades but nice flavours.

Mains were home made Pappardelle with Wild Boar sauce for me , a big favourite of mine and fillet steak for Chris.Both really were excellent.

We both talked about how lucky we felt to be here, on a sunny Sunday afternoon in early Spring, having a great lunch in such a beautiful place.It was probably the best meal and one of the most enjoyable locations of the trip.

Had a stroll through the rest of immaculate, quiet little Monteriggione.The countryside around the village was gorgeous.

A village I would never tire of visiting – a gem of a place, very pretty.

San Gimignano

On to San Gimignano, a short drive away. It really is a very handsome town with its remarkably preserved 12 stone towers.It’s been described as a kind of medieval Manhattan.

The two adjacent piazzas are very lovely though they were very busy and perhaps more touristy than I remembered from 10 years ago.We joined the queue for the famous ice cream from Dondoli which has an incredible range of really unusual flavours.I chose Expresso Coffee and what turned out to be a really superb Almond, Orange and Honey flavour ice cream.Chris had Pistachio and also Malaga Wine and Raisin(instead of the usual Rum and Raisin.) It may not have been the ‘real deal’ in terms of pure ice cream, given it was piled up so highly but the unusual combo I had was excellent and tasted just as good as Grom’s!

Finally, my need to climb lots and lots of steps got the better of me and I decided to go up the Grand Tower.I did say to Chris to leave me to it but he insisted on coming up too. Maybe that ice cream had given me some extra energy.

Well, it really wasn’t too difficult a climb with quite wide, robust, newish stairs and a good handrail.It looked a bit intimidating at the start as you looked up and the final ladder was quite narrow(but perfectly safe and protected though you had to go down backwards on the return, it was so steep) but what views it gave over the countryside! We actually passed a woman with her son on the first landing, a boy who was crying, looking up at the endless stairs that wound their way to the top.I think he was a bit scared and I admit, they did look daunting from lower down.

Beautiful Tuscany all around.Well worth the effort!

It was an easy hour or so’s drive back to our accommodation.Picked up some tomatoes, cheese, bread etc at Essalonga. Darkness fell by 6.45pm and we read and chatted about heading north to Lake Como and Bellagio tomorrow.The Lakes! Another beautiful area which we’d enjoyed in the past.Would it live up to our expectations?

 Not so many steps today given all our driving about -15,341. Ah, slackers!

Previous Days:Tuscany, Lakes Como and Garda Road Trip -MAP Bergamo -DAY 1 of a 13 Day Trip

Next Few Days: Parma, Lake Como and Lake Lugano.LAKE COMO and LUGANO. VARENNA TO BELLANO WALK (Lake Como)