Finding joy on an imperfect trip to Italy

Pisa is seen at dusk from a bridge across the Arno River. 

Too hot. Too many tourists. These are the two main reasons that I usually avoid traveling in the high season. Last February my husband and I enjoyed a delightful month in Italy. But the occasion of my brother coming from California to visit us for the first time meant that we three, (my brother, my sister, and I) headed to Italy in September, still very much prime tourism season. 

Many people have their dream city: the place they've always wanted to visit. For me, it was Paris. For my brother, it was Florence. Well, you win some and you lose some. 

Catching Covid is likely the main reason this trip doesn't live up to expectations. The throngs of tourists and scorching heat don't help much. However, before our symptoms appear, we manage to enjoy a few days in Pisa and Florence. Later, when my siblings are sheltering at our apartment and before I test positive, I am able to get out on my own and see some sites that I had missed during my trip last winter. Here, I'll share some highlights and try to keep the kvetching to a minimum.  

Leaning in to Pisa

The Tower in Pisa does, indeed, lean a bit.

Our first stop is Pisa, chosen because this is where Ryan Air flies to from Bordeaux. We arrive in the afternoon and after checking into our offbeat little hotel, we set off for Piazza del Duomo. In addition to the famed leaning tower, cathedral, baptistery, and tourist office, there are a half-zillion people here, all of them seemingly wanting to snap a photo that makes it look like they're holding the tower in their hand. 

The cathedral is closed to visitors this evening, but we are tipped off that if we return early tomorrow morning, we'll be able to go inside, as long as we are quiet and don't cause a ruckus during Sunday Mass.

All sorts of contortions are required in order to look as if
you're holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Pisa's Baptistery of Saint John was built
between 1152 and 1363. 

 Sunday morning is much calmer at Piazza del Duomo in Pisa.

The tiny Church of Santa Maria della Spina
sits on the bank of the Arno River in Pisa.

The exterior of the Church of Santa Maria della Spina
in Pisa contains some intriguing features.

American artist Keith Haring painted Tuttomondo, a popular
mural located in Pisa.

Sidestepping crowds in Florence

Piazzale Michelangelo offers this stunning view of Florence.

On our first evening in Florence, I suggest we walk to Piazzale Michelangelo. Last winter, my husband and enjoyed the uphill stroll here, and felt we were rewarded with amazing views across the city. This time, the plaza is packed with people jockeying for position to watch the sunset. Many of our outings for the week involve avoiding (and complaining about) crowds and seeking out less-popular sites. This goal is met with mixed results. We have Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce, and Museo Zeffirelli nearly to ourselves. Galleria dell'Accademia is a teeming mosh pit (although David lives up to its hype). 

The best treasures of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence can
be seen on the ceiling.

Judith and Holofernes by Donatello is located at
Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

The tomb of Galileo Galilée is located at Santa Croce
in Florence. Among others interred here are Michelangeo
and Machiavelli.

You'll have to decide for yourself if a visit to David is
worth the mob at Galleria dell' Accademia in Florence.

I'm amazed at the prolificacy of artists Lorenzo Bartolini and
Luigi Pampaloni. This room at the Accademia gallery is
filled with their sculptures and plaster casts.

This costume, designed by Franco Zeffirelli for opera soprano
Maria Callas, is on display at Museo Zeffirelli in Florence.

Miniatures of opera sets designed by Franco Zeffirelli can be
found at the museum bearing his name in Florence. 

The wrong way to do Cinque Terre

The blue Italian Riviera draws crowds to Cinque Terre.

Despite its sparkling blue water, I'm disenchanted by Cinque Terre, a cluster of hillside villages along the Italian Riviera. We have opted for a guided tour here, which is not exactly guided. We're dropped at one village, allowed an hour or so to find a restroom and an overpriced coffee, then we're packed onto the train to the next village. Each village is chock full of tourists and souvenir shops. If you go — and I'm not saying you should — pack a picnic lunch and take a bus or train to Levanto. Then hike or ride the train to Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore (or you can do it the other way around). An affordable day pass is available for the Cinque Terre train. 

Most of the beaches in Cinque Terre are private. 

The water really sparkles in Cinque Terre.

Charmed in Tuscany

The beautiful Tuscan countryside is seen from San Gimignano. 

While my siblings convalesce, I take a bus tour to the Chianti area of Tuscany, about 90 minutes south of Florence. This tour is much more to my liking than the Cinque Terre trip earlier in the week. Our guide is informative and kind, and we have ample time to check out each place we stop. The first stop is the fortified castle/village of Monteriggioni. Then we're on to Siena, a city that really charms me. The tour also included a wine tasting at Poggio Ai Laghi, that is surprisingly interesting as well as tasty. The stop provides a welcomed break before we head to our last stop, San Gimignano.  

Monteriggioni is a small fortified castle built in the 13th century
by the Republic of Siena in order to defend its southern border
against Florence. 

The stunning white Duomo di Siena is one of Italy's
most illustrious Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals. 

Not another tourist is in sight during my visit to this
small church located on the edge of Il Campo plaza
in Siena. What a respite! 

I enjoy sampling the Chianti and accompaniments at
Poggio ai Laghi as part of my Tuscany tour.

This lavender shop in San Gimignano pops with color .

A cat deliberately ignores tourists like me in San Gimignano.

As I head back to the bus in San Gimignano for my return to Florence,
I savor one last look at the Tuscan countryside.

So much art, so little time in Florence & Bologna

Lennon lyrics shine on a Bologna street.

I have only two items on my must-do list for our brief visit to Bologna: pasta with bolognaise sauce and a baloney sandwich. Even though we're here for only one night, I manage to find both at an unassuming little restaurant along a busy pedestrian street that serves its meals on paper plates. (We're not fussy.) We have a starter of little sandwiches with mortadella (fancy bologna) and a scrumptious lasagne with — you guessed it — bolognaise sauce.

Our dinner in Bologna includes the best boloney sandwiches ever.

Bologna's Piazza Maggiore is hopping on the Friday evening of our visit. Before we find the Tourism Office, I stop to admire the Fountain of Neptune, one of the city's symbols. It seems everyone is here, getting primed for this final weekend of Carnivale. 

The Flemish sculptor known as Giambologna designed
the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna.

Following the "three hours in the heart of our city" route that is suggested on the map, we manage to cover a lot of ground. We also leave plenty of sites to discover the next time we visit Bologna. 

This typically stunning building is located along
via dell'Indipendenza in Bologna.

The Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna contains the
world's largest sundial as well as this beautiful altar.

If I think I may come back to Bologna, I'm certain I'll return to Florence. Our three days here aren't  enough to see everything. We've barely dipped our toes into the Renaissance riches that abound here. 

This replica of David stands in Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence.

Our apartment in Florence is ideally situated in a quiet neighborhood at the base of Giardino Delle Rose, the mountain that Piazzale Michaelangelo sits atop. Once we settle into our excellent lodgings, we walk up to the plaza that contains wonderful views as well as one of the city's two replicas of David. The original David is located in the Gallerie dell'Accademia, a museum that we don't have time to visit this trip, unfortunately.  

This guy seems to be stepping off the Grazie bridge in Florence.

Packed with people and jewelry stores, we only bother crossing
Ponte Vecchio once during our visit to Florence. 

This replica of David stands in Piazza della Signoria
(Duomo Square) in Florence.

Filled with statues, Piazza della Signoria is Florence's
main square. 

Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus is displayed
at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Because we're here in the winter, the major museums offer deeply discounted passes. Our ticket to Galleria Degli Uffizi includes entry to the Archeological Museum, the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. With about 70 museums in Florence there will be plenty left to see the next time we visit. 

The corridors of the Florence's main art museum, Uffizi Gallery, contain hundreds of Roman and Greek sculptures from the Medici collection. If you were to stop and study each piece, you'd never make it to many of the 100+ rooms  containing more than 2,200 works of art from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Our hours here are both exhilarating and exhausting. It's about all we can tackle, artwise, for today.

This sculpture of Hercules slaying a centaur is an important example
of an ancient statuary that was completed in the modern era. 
It is on display at Uffizi Gallery in Florence.   

Caravaggio's painted shield depicting Medusa was given to Grand
Duke Ferdinando by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte in 1598.
It is on display at Uffizi Gallery in Florence.  

The next day, we're off to visit Palazzo Pitti. This vast palace was once owned by the Medici family, who turned a mere castle into one of Florence's most important art museums. The Palatine Gallery, the Royal Apartments, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the Museum of Costume and Fashion, are all housed inside the Pitti Palace. It's smart to look up: The ceilings here are amazing. 

The ceilings at the Pitti Palace in Florence are as
glorious as the artwork contained there.

This marble sculpture entitled "The Young Michelangelo"
is by Emilio Zocchi. It is on display at Pitti Palace in Florence.

Adjacent to Pitti Palace is Boboli Gardens, the largest monumental green space in Florence. One needs a separate ticket to visit Boboli, which is more open-air museum than garden. It was created over a 400-year period in the 15th through 19th centuries. Originally designed by the Borgolo family, the garden was expanded and designed by the Medici family. Included are an amphitheatre, fountains, a rampart built by Michelangeo, and, if you visit in the right season, flowers. Amazing views await those who  climb to the top level.

Neptune's fountain in Florence's Boboli Gardens is nicknamed "The Fork." 

Giotto's Bell Tower and the Cathedral of Florence are seen from Boboli Gardens. 

We seem to be the only visitors to Museo Archeologico, although soon a school group arrives, which provides a soundtrack of chatter and giggles to our exploration. The museum's Egyptian Collection is Italy's second most important after the one in Turin.  

Mummies and other relics from Egypt are on display at Florence's
Archaeological Museum. 

This piece is on display at the Archaeological Museum in Florence.

Our trip to Italy is nearing its end. We'll return to France via train to Genoa, Flixbus to Marseille, and another train home. We're proud that we've done this whole trip via ground mass transit. Far less stressful than driving, parking, and planes, we'll certainly be opting for trains and buses for many of our future adventures.