Florence to Pisa to La Spezia

Monday, 5th October

Florence to Pisa to La Spezia

The extra day in Florence recharged our batteries and we felt ready to embark on the next stage of the journey. As Pisa is on the way to La Spezia we decided to spend the day there, explore the town and see the Tower. After negotiating the intricacies of the Italian rail system, separate display boards for train arrivals and departures (don’t confuse them or you may end up waiting to get on a train that isn’t going anywhere) as well as validating tickets (or overlooking doing so and being reprimanded by a ticket inspector) we arrived in Pisa.

Pisa is an interesting mix of roman, medieval, renaissance and modern buildings (hello! Italy!) It is also a university town and it was great to see a lot of young people buzzing around, with enthusiasm and energy, so very different to the shuffling grey tourists we see a lot of. The walk from the station to the “Field of Miracles”, where the cathedral, tower and baptistery are, was an easy walk, across the Arno River, past the Botanical gardens, university and hospital. We stopped for a toilet break and had the best value coffee we have had all trip - .90c! We’ve paid more just to use a toilet, let alone get coffee as well.

The tower and surrounding buildings are very pretty – white and grey stone, and all around is neat and well maintained. The tower has a disconcerting lean and we wondered how long it will stand up. We played around with photos to make it look like we were pushing it over or holding it up. Really dorky but everyone was doing it. We queued to buy tickets but were going to have to wait 4 hours before we could get in and decided to forgo the experience (something for next time!) however we stayed long enough to take many photos. You can only enter the cathedral if you pay, but there was a small sign advising those who wished to pray could follow the red line to a side entrance. Off we went and gave the old knees a workout and tried to sneak a look while looking suitably reverent and holy. I think it worked.

We wandered back through the town and found a church or two that were free entry and passed through a square with a huge statue of Cosimo Medici. The building behind was intricately decorated with sgrafito, designs etched into the wet plaster. The building is now a school and has given me some great ideas to redecorate Heatherhill PS, and I do like the idea of a statuary tribute in the front yard.

We collected our luggage from the station and boarded the train for La Spezia, close to the Cinque Terre. The train trip was OK – we sat in First Class (by accident) so were very comfortable, but the countryside was not very attractive. We thought if this is what La Spezia is like – industrial, untidy, drab – we were glad we were only going to be there two days. I’m pleased to say that Spezia is a great place, part of the Italian Riviera, a naval base and a busy thriving town.

We are staying in a most colourful and artistic hotel. The proprietors are a husband and wife, who are very friendly and chatter away with us in Italian for ages! Good thing we had those lessons – we manage to understand about one word in ten and smile and nod a lot. New best friends! He is an artist and has decorated all the hotel rooms with his surrealist murals – rather unusual, but very interesting. There are several books of his work in the lounge and it appears that his wife was his muse and model.

We went for a “promenade” at around six o’clock – all of Spezia does. We stopped in a piazza and had a “spritz” which came with a platter of snacks. Our hosts recommended a fabulous restaurant for dinner and rang ahead and made sure that we were looked after. We had the seafood antipasto, which was plate after plate of the freshest, most delicious dishes of mussels, sardines, squid and octopus, salads and it just kept coming. For the main we had a grilled mormora (fish) and green salad. Our waiter was very attentive and insisted we have dessert and brought out two bowls of myrtille (blackcurrants?) and then proceeded to pour great glugs of Grand Marnier over them. Very nice. Michael and Karol had been there the previous night and had the digestifs, so asked for them again. Our waiter brought out four glasses of homemade digesifs: finocchio, limoncello, something coffee and something sort of nutty. Fantastic. We had a great night, topped off by the waiter giving each couple a key ring.

We retired to our hotel room, where the ceiling is painted with squiggles and patterns and a cleverly disguised kissing couple. Very romantic.