Tag Archives: Tuscany

Italian Cities

The Tuscan Hills

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Since it can prove to be difficult to travel to the small hill towns in Tuscany using public transportation,  we rented a car and took several drives into the surrounding hills and down the coast.

Chiani

Our first stop was Chiani.  It is a very small town with little to no tourists (at least when we were there).  Holly had seen an ad for an apartment there and although we thought the town might be too small, we thought we would take a look while we were in the area.  The apartment was a very nice place in the corner of town with a magnificent view of the Tuscan countryside and plenty of space, but as we suspected, the town was just too small for us to want to stay put there for any length of time.

The rooftop terrace
The view from the rooftop terrace

Volterra

Like many of the places we have visited, the history of Volterra goes back thousands of years.  There are the remains of the Etruscan acropolis on top of the hill and the Roman theater on the side of the hill.  During the time of the Medici, the place was fought over for the alum deposits nearby.  There are traces of all of that and more in this spectacular hilltop city.

Volterra from a distance
The walls of Volterra
The walls of Volterra
The Etruscan ruins
The old castle still used as a prison
The Roman theater
View through one of the city gates
The views just keep coming

San Gimignano

If you are looking for great medieval architecture in a small Tuscan city, this just might be the place for you.  It is stunningly preserved and you can easily imagine yourself wandering these streets 600 year ago (well except for the occasional car that passes you at a speed that always seems too fast).  The fun part of this place is that during the middle ages, the families that lived here got into a “my tower is bigger than your tower” match.  The result of this competition was that at one time there were as many as 72 tower houses distributed around the city.  The city fathers finally put an end to the whole thing by putting a limit on the height of any new tower.  While many of the towers are gone, there are still 14 to bemuse your spirit and as in all of the hill towns in this region, there are great views in every direction.

The Tuscan Coast

With all of the attention that the Tuscan hills get, it is good to remember that Tuscany has a beautiful coast line and it can be a very rewarding experience to spend some time there.

We are currently in Porto, Portugal.  This is a stop over on our way back to Seattle.  Not to worry, we are only coming back to sell our house and return to Italy as soon as we have taken care of the sale and the business that follows.  I am determined to finish at least most of the posts that I meant to write over that last few months, so be prepared for the onslaught.  Hopefully, that will be a good thing for most of you.

Italian Cities

Livorno

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As we looked for a strategy to explore more of Tuscany (we have both been to Florence several times and we stayed in Lucca for a month in 2016 just after we moved here), we decided to stay on the sea at Livorno and rent a car so we could drive into the hills to explore places that are somewhat difficult by train or bus.  This turned out to be a good choice for us and we had a great time.

Livorno is a port city of approximately 160,000 inhabitants located on the west coast of Tuscany.  When the port of Pisa silted up in the 13th century, Livorno (once known to the English as Leghorn) became the major port city for Tuscany.  The Medici family had a major influence here and their traces can be seen everywhere.

At one point the city decided to install a series of canals and waterways and there is even one neighborhood that is referred to as “Venezia Nuova” (New Venice).  We stayed in an apartment with a view of one of those canals and the Fortezza Nuova (a Medicean fortress that is now a park).

The Ever Changing View From our Apartment

I think this may have been my favorite view from any stay we have had here in Italy.  It seemed that every time I looked out the window, it was different, but always a wonder to behold.

Morning
Evening
Sunset
The Various views of Livorno

We spent one day exploring Livorno and wondering around its streets, canals and the seaside plaza/walkway.  It was a little cool, but the skies were beautiful and at this time of year nothing was over crowded.  We had great food, great wine and a great time.

From the Fortezza toward our apartment
Always the laundry on a nice day
The Fortezza Nuova
From the Fortezza
Couldn’t resist
Beautiful houses
The plaza/walkway
The plaza/walkway with a beautiful lady
The Market

Full of all the fresh fish,  meat,  cheese, baked goods, fruits and vegetables you could want, this indoor market, with skylights to provide all of the illumination you need, was a delight to shop for our food during our stay in Livorno.

Quattro mori

Perhaps the most famous statue in Livorno, the Four Moors was commissioned by Cosimo II de’ Medici in the 17th century to commemorate the various victories of his father, Ferdinando I de’ Medici, over the Moors.  Perhaps, like the monument to Christopher Columbus in Genova, with a bare breasted native american maiden sitting at his feet like a prize from the new world (see post on Genova), it may seem a little politically incorrect (Holly says that by today’s standards, it is horribly incorrect), but the bronze figures in chains , subjugated as they are, are magnificent pieces unto themselves.

Next up will be some views of the Tuscan hills.