Tuscany 2005 -- Part 5: La Strada dell'Olio and Pisa

On Friday July 1, we loaded Robert (a real trooper for putting up with all the traveling we were doing) into his car seat and headed to Pisa on the back roads. La Strada dell'Olio is an ancient olive oil route to Pisa. The hills provide more breathtaking views, including a very distant view of Pisa far below. For our trip it was a bit hazy but still very impressive. And windy and cool, a first for us.
La Strada dell'Olio Tuscany 2005 (photo by SZap). La Strada dell'Olio Tuscany 2005 (photo by SZap).
La Strada dell'Olio Tuscany 2005 (photo by SZap). La Strada dell'Olio Tuscany 2005.
La Strada dell'Olio Tuscany 2005. La Strada dell'Olio Tuscany 2005.
If you look closely (maybe click on the photo to view the larger one), you can see the leaning tower and duomo of Pisa in the photo on the right. Pisa from La Strada dell'Olio Tuscany 2005.
Pisa Tuscany 2005 (photo by SZap). After our longer than needed trip -- we stopped a bit to look out over the valley (and to check in with the tourist information folks in Buti) -- we headed straight for lunch when we got into Pisa. Robert is now a Tuscan cuisine aficionado. Lunch first turned out to be a minor tactical error. We had more time to kill than we needed to because we didn't go for tower tickets as soon as we got there. After lunch, we went to get our tickets and there was about at a two hour wait for the next slot available. But we enjoyed the time looking around the plaza and checking out a couple of the museums.
Pisa Tuscany 2005. Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Pisa Tuscany 2005. Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Pisa Tuscany 2005. The duomo (cathedral) of Pisa is really amazing. It's hard to fathom how all that marble got from the mountains around Carrara to Pisa in 11th century. For me, it was ornate taken well beyond anything I've seen before. There seemed to be not a single unadorned space.
Pisa Tuscany 2005. Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005. Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005. Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005. Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005. Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005.
I was a little miffed to be told I could not take my camera bag with me climbing up the leaning tower, but once inside the tower, on the stairs going up when the prior group was coming down, it made lots of sense. The stairwell is only so wide... And you really can feel the lean as you climb the stairs, it just doesn't feel right to go up or down stairs that are tilted. The view from the top was great, if a bit hazy. Duomo in Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Pisa Tuscany 2005. Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Pisa Tuscany 2005. Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Sarah is three rings below the top in this shot, waving her hat. (Robert was too young, so Sarah and I split tours, one going up, one keeping Robert company while he mostly napped). If you have a fast Internet connection, try this big version of the photo. And this is Sarah on the top of the tower -- again, waving her hat.
Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Pisa Tuscany 2005 (photo by SZap). Pisa Tuscany 2005.
Pisa Tuscany 2005. Pisa Tuscany 2005.

A Cheap, touristy thing I know, but it had to be done. My folks have a wood cut print by a Richmond artist of a similar perspective trick. In that print a "tiny woman" dances in the palm of someone's hand.

We saw this aqueduct on the way in and Sarah tracked down the trivia that's it recent: 1549 or so. It used to supply water to Pisa, now it marks a bike and walking trail (and is missing a few sections).

Our next visit was to Montecatini Terme.