Pisa, Bagni di Lucca (Tuscany) and Florence...

...eight trains, three towns and three days. We couldn't avoid Pisa or Florence any longer, but Tuscany in between just added to the contemplative ambience of the adventure. Our other goal on this trip was finding great vegan food - a surprisingly easy and tasty venture. (Folks down South are definitely more keen on feeding vegetarians than the confused meat eaters in the North.)

The trip began in Pisa where we joined other eager tourists leaning against the air, pretending to fool the prospective of camera angles everywhere, something that's never been done before. Lunch was enjoyed at a ristorante called Da Bruno. The waiter, an older Italian man, was actually excited to offer their various local 'vegano' cusine - bruscetta, vegetables (lots of mushrooms) and bean soups. I found this restaurant online because of their wide assortment of vegan food, like most Italians, they're proud of their region that just happens to be filled with fresh vegetables and legumes.

(P.S. This thing is pretty crooked, seems like it could fall at any second.) 

We hopped on the next train to Bagni di Lucca after this, apparently nicknamed the Switzerland of Tuscany. The picture at the top of the blog is from this town. Our bed and breakfast, Villa Rosalena, sat on the side of a mountain right above a river and down the road from the tiny town center. Bagni di Lucca is known as a refuge for British artists (including Byron and Shelley back in the day) so obviously, I was struck with its beauty and inspirational vibes. 

Thermal hot springs, caves and grottos were everywhere here, as well as one of the first casinos ever built in Europe in 1800's: 

The bed and breakfast, Villa Roselena, was also found online because they cater specifically to vegetarians. The owners were Irish and it wouldn't be possible for me to describe how gracious, hospitable and elegant these people were. Breakfast on the first day was fresh baked bread, couscous salad (with strawberries, white raisins, walnuts and cinnamon), garden grown fruit and a plate of garden grown grilled mushrooms, cherry tomatoes on the vine and grilled potato souffle with rosemary - incredible and beautiful.

Day two was a fruit salad, more fresh baked bread, then a warm cinnamon apricot bruschetta on home-made brioche (italian croissant). This town was extremely tiny but the British influence was everywhere. British flags, English language on signs, etc. and Brits on vacation mixed in with the locals. One very un-British thing however was the cheese rolling tournament we walked up on during a festival on the main street. This was oddly comical yet taken very seriously by the locals. We enjoyed a seat next to the action, sipped on a (traditionally Northern) spritz (how posh of us) and pretended to understand the drunk local men hollering in dialect at the table next to us. 

Dinner was at a local pizzeria on this same street. The owner, in typical Italian fashion, was boisterous while introducing all the vegan/vegetarian options at his restaurant. Their selection of great beer was also a plus, but the quality of the food and vegetables, not surprisingly, was over the top. Our favorite dish here was fried mushrooms - not breaded - just mushrooms quickly fried in very hot oil, turning the outside of the mushrooms crunchy but keeping the inside gooey like fresh french fries - wow.

The rain kept us mostly indoors the next day, reading, drawing and sleeping with the windows wide open, which was great because we rarely just relax on our vacations. Our Irish host also brought us this to aid in our relaxation: 

(Gestures like this always renew my love for the hospitality of B & B's.)

Our fancy dinner was spent at restaurant overlooking the river (see the top pic too). They were serving my favorite wine (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo) and gave us the best seat in the house. I indulged greatly in fish and cheese here because it was too good not to, but Munday was served an incredible three course meal and was treated, once again, with a great pride at their ability to accommodate vegans. 

The following day, we headed to Florence, land of the Renaissance, and about five billion American college students. I had two goals, one was to see Michelangelo's David and the other was to see Elizabeth Barrett Browning's tomb. Both were happily achieved and our fabulous time, in between the tourist spots, was enjoyed at various cafes and resting spots out of the sun. 

The city was smaller than I imagined, after having been to Rome, Milan and Venice, I expected grandiose modern city life mixed in with history, but that just wasn't the case. The buildings were far from modern, historical fountains and sculptures were on every corner, artists and students walked every inch of the streets and nobody was in a great hurry to do anything. Even the Americans seemed overly relaxed outside of their quick excited chattering with each other.

Florence therefore was everything it has probably always been - an epicenter of learning, nationally and internationally, which is inspiring. Even the famous David, just like the city, was large but not overwhelming, historical and yet also inspiring in his own way because of how truly beautiful he really is. Beauty in Michelangelo's day doesn't seem far from today's attitude of what constitutes a traditionally attractive male. Artists of course surrounded the statue, sketching, not too furiously, the contours of David's thin but muscular frame and saddened expression (apparently an interpretation of his face right before defeating Goliath).

Pictures weren't allowed of course, but here's a few others from Florence:

The train rides home were long but we made it through another weekend of travels and brought home lots of quiet happy thoughts. Traveling has changed both of us in so many ways, enlightening, educating and thought-provoking about how we want to live our lives. Some things become completely obsolete (television, drama, judgements about what other people think and stress) while other things suddenly rise to top of the life list (being happy, learning about the world, making friends and enjoying as much as possible of everything). 

Our only hardship is being so far away from family and old friends. Traveling does provoke that need for 'home' and being around those people that know you inside and out. We miss everyone everyday and are really looking forward to being home again when that day comes. I hope everyone takes advantage of the love they have around them because everything else is nothing without that.

Love you guys a lot...I might indulge in a nap now...I think traveling is adding years onto my young life. haha ;) Ciao Ciao and don't forget to update us on your lives too! We enjoy hearing from everyone when possible and I hope you're all happy...

The Ligurian Sea...

...is on Italy's western coast. We traveled for three days between Marina di Pietrasanta and Viareggio in Versilia, Tuscany. 

Visiting Tuscan beaches for a few days was whimsical to the point of ridiculous. It strangely reminded me of the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie where the young boy was transported into a television show - only I'm not a young boy and the station was turned to The Travel Channel.

The trip was in honor of Ink Addiction, the tattoo shop in Verona where Munday works. Very close friends were therefore in attendance and our motley crew stormed the beaches with big smiles, wearing our party hats proudly.

We dined on only the finest of cuisine and drinks for the first meal - fried fish and beer. ;) The restaurant's atmosphere was incredible - palm trees, tropical vegetation, and a few "banana hammocks" walking around every few minutes. 

We stayed at a bed and breakfast off the beaten path, which was easier for us since we had a van at our disposal, but returning to this quiet Tuscan retreat after a long beach day helped sustain the ethereal feelings as well as restore energy for some nighttime activities, sans banana hammocks!

Dinner was enjoyed on the water in Viareggio, the largest town we went to, and definitely the most nostalgic for me. The second we hit the main strip, I couldn't stop taking in deep breaths of the familiar evening salty air where your skin is tight from the sun and the only thing on your relaxed mind is a Bloody Mary. (Well mine anyway. ;) )
We found a perfect upscale bar for an 'aperitivo' that served Bloody Mary's and happened to exist in a nice bookstore - I was in heaven - we enjoyed a classic pre-dinner cocktail. Italians very rarely go straight to dinner, they always stop at a bar (cafè/bars are the same thing here) to have a drink and relax before eating a large meal. 

I ordered thin spaghetti with mussels and clams, but the restaurant kept bringing these baskets of fire grilled flat bread doused in garlic, olive oil and herbs - if my spaghetti wouldn't have tasted so delicious, I could have eaten the table bread as a meal. Our wine was obviously white with this meal - Vesevo Sannio Falanghina - http://www.vesevo.it/ The flavor was stronger than my usual Verenese Soave, but if the bottle is kept on ice while drinking, each glass is perfect.

The following morning we enjoyed a home cooked breakfast thanks to the B & B. The large table (set with white linens and straw place mats) overlooked a huge bay window (Italians never use screens) revealing Tuscan hillsides, pink rose bushes taller than me and clear blue skies. Their espresso was also perfect - not bitter, strong and brewed to the right temperature. 

(Rose from the front window.)

We took a stroll through a part of town that was certainly the 'Beverly Hills' of the area - equipped with the standards: Gucci, Prada, D & G and the fashionable boutiques housing maybe 20 outfits at a time (they have more shabby chic type decorations than they do items for purchase).

(Roberto Cavalli is on the left - not to expose the fashion world - but if everyone knew how these top designers actually ran their businesses here in Italy, maybe people would rethink their obsessions with the high dollar nonsense of it all.) 

Once window shopping was over, we headed to the beach for more ridiculous frolicking. We rented areas from country clubs that supply permanent umbrellas, chairs, showers, a restaurant, bar, etc. Very convenient and amazing but the owner of our first place took one look at our group and offered a lecture to Ivan and I about how 'they were a family establishment and he didn't want any funny business.' 

Ivan politely told the judgmental man that the place was perfect then, because we were a family and we only pay for the best. Then we both smiled and spent tons of money on food and drinks for everybody. After we left, we cleaned up our area neatly, threw our trash away and paid our final bill, then the man's father came running after us and told us to leave and never come back, he was cursing in Italian and screaming in front of his other customers. Beppe was very disappointed and the other customers agreed with us that the man was very wrong to act that way. We left with our dignity but contemplated injecting the swine flu into the club's water supply. ;)

Still, the day was beautiful and the beach allowed all of us to become 10 year olds again, playing games, laughing and not having a care in the world.

(The pic below was taken right before I was completely drenched by these guys.)

(Bocce Ball!)

(Gelato with a black cherry on top.)

The owners of the local tattoo shop took us out on the town this night, starting out with an aperitivo where Sara (Beppe's wife) and I enjoyed more white Falanghina then we went to a trendy, locally owned Italian restaurant. Whoa. The best steak I've ever eaten - the cooking area was surrounded by glass so you could watch the chef pull out half of a cow then go to town with a gigantic clever, everyone could hear the pounding over loud voices and the overhead music. The only dressing was sea salt after just searing both sides of the steak and adding a side of arugula. Simple, yet amazing. 

This was also the best wine of the trip - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - http://www.lavalentina.it/home.htm - the bottle seemed like a standard red magnum table wine, nobody even bothered to check the label. Then we all clinked our glasses, took a sip and silence took over. Everyone then stuck their noses inside their glasses, took a big whiff then another drink and we almost fell over in joy. Our only words, not being pros at describing wine and such, was that it was beautiful. My words for that wine remain - it was beautiful.

We spent time in the historic center of Pietrasanta on the third day. The center was theatrically quaint, I was waiting for a Shakespeare play to suddenly begin out of nowhere or for street poets to begin chanting Dante's infamous Divine Comedy. Surrounded by an ancient brick wall, Pietrasanta's little downtown center was meant for fairy tale movies and antique collectors.

Here's a few of my photos from our pre-beach excursion:

(The Sunday market.)

(I was in love with the above and the below items.)

(Below are pics from the only main piazza - Piazza Duomo.)

After some afternoon cafès and cocktails, we headed for a new beach and carried on the same as we did the previous days. The country club we chose was superior to the other in terms of friendly service but we enjoyed ourselves all the same. 

We returned to the historic center in Pietrasanta for a night out.  We drank more Bloody Mary's then ate seafood at a restaurant where the chef was also our waiter. The place was quite large and there were other workers so I'm not sure if that was a normal thing but he liked to discuss the dishes. The wine in this restaurant was displayed on a table so customers could pick which bottle they wanted then bring it to the table for the waiter to open it for you.  We chose Morellino di Scansano but I can't remember the winery, it was delicious and easy to drink which was perfect for the moment. Then we rolled ourselves home to wake up early - exhausted, satisfied, sun kissed and happy.