Saturday, October 31, 2015

Torre on the rebound - little by little!

It is now 2 months since the devastating hailstorm made it's mark on our village of Torre del Compte.


Since then the entire village has been turned into a building site...


...with the sound and sight of men at work everywhere.


Narrow streets have been blocked with machinery...


...and scaffolding has become a major feature.





The church building which was being renovated at the same time is now complete.







Progress is being made but there is still plenty to do.


With tomorrow being the 1st November, we just hope that the fine weather is going to stay a while longer.


To see all of the photos on Facebook, click HERE.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Siena and Volterra

 The third and final part of our Tuscan experience was 2 nights in Siena...


...and we arrived at the hotel in time for lunch.


In the afternoon we walked into the city. It is very hilly! Unlike most cities which have developed around a river crossing, Siena grew from being a settlement on a hill which could give the best protection against invaders from 900 BC onwards.


However, one positive feature of being spread over a hilly area is that you can get good views from the top of a neighbouring hill.


From the 9th September until 31st October Siena is home to 200 colourful plastic creatures as the “Regeneration – Cracking Art at Siena” exhibition.


Our stay in Siena was wet, gentle but persistent rain, the temperature was not cold but certainly not hot! My umbrella was courtesy of the hotel.


A must visit area is the Piazzo del Campo, the town square, and we could appreciate how the area had been designed to enable all the water to flow into a large drainage hole in front of the centre of the Palazza Pubblico in the photo above.


The Palazza Pubblico houses an art museum and some sculptures were on display in the courtyard.


Fortunately the sculptures were weatherproof as the area was open to the elements.


The Torre del Mangia can be seen from all of the surrounding hills.


Just outside the Cathedral is another sculpture where Margaret just had to join in the merriment despite the rain.


Siena Cathedral, Duomo di Siena, was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and is a masterpiece of Romanesque-Gothic architecture even on a slightly wet day.


According to legend the city of Siena was formed by 2 sons of Remus, Senius and Aschius, nephews of Romulus who founded Rome. Hence the symbol of the town is the wolf who suckled the twins, their father and uncle.


The eastern end of the cathedral is as impressive as the main entrance. It is constructed in stripes of white and (greenish) black marble, the colours of the city celebrating the fact that it's founders rode black and white horses.


This is a public footpath - did I mention that Siena was hilly?


The Basilica di San Domenico was also built in the 13th century but then enlarged in the 14th century and, yes, you've guessed, it's on a hill.


This charming nymph was lurking in the garden of our hotel but we spotted it!


And so the following morning we leave Senia. That's me in the Fiat 500. It was a 500C. The C means it was a convertible but due to the weather we were never able to explore that option.


On our way back to Pisa airport we dropped in to the town of Volterra - at least it wasn't raining but it was still very grey and quite cold. They have a very fine clock tower in the main square.




This town had been another neolithic hill settlement and is very picturesque on a fine day.


The Romans settled here and their theatre can still be seen.


Although not as grand as the Cathedral in Siena the decor bears some resemblance, not bad for a rear entrance,


Our final lunch was yet another plate of pasta - we're becoming Italian!


Then in the afternoon we drove up the coast to Pisa and as you can see, it was cold, grey and windy but dry.

The area where we live in Spain, the MatarraƱa region, is often likened to Tuscany. We noticed some differences however. Tuscany has a greater variety of deciduous trees and it is wetter. Although we certainly enjoyed Tuscany we think we shall stay where we are.

To see my video of Siena and Volterra, click HERE.

To see some of the photos on Facebook, click HERE.

To see some more of the photos, click HERE.

To see the remaining photos, click HERE.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Florence!

After our stay in Pisa the 2nd part of the holiday was to collect the hire car and go to Florence.


We arrived in time for lunch... 


...and then a walk into the city in the afternoon. It looks as though the lamp posts have a walkabout too!


The meal in the hotel in the evening was superb!


The following day we visited the small town of Fiesole which overlooks Florence...


...and was where the wealthy folk of Florence had their countryside villas in the middle ages as indeed they do today.


Back in Florence the Fortezza de Basso or the Fortezza di San Giovanni Battista, the fort of Saint John the Baptist, forms part of the 14th century city walls and very decorative walls they are!


It's time for the afternoon ice cream again, this time in the shop of Roberto Rinaldini, who is an Ice Cream World Champion!


The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore which is situated in the Piazza del Duomo, was started in 1296 and completed in 1436. It has the largest brick built dome in the world.


It's not often we go to see a busker twice but this guy was the exception.

To see a video of the first time we saw Mike Whittaker play, click HERE

To see the video of our second visit to hear him, click HERE.


Leaving the centre of Florence to return to our hotel we had to stop off at the Piazza Michelangelo which is a wonderful place for taking in a panoramic view of the city below.




The next day we explored the city including the Piazza della 
Signoria in front of the Palazza Vecchio with the Fountain of Neptune and other amazing sculptures on display.


I just love the way these lions pose for the camera!


The Ponte Vecchio, a site of a crossing of the River Arno since Roman times and rebuilt in 1345, is a must for the tourist. It houses shops belonging to jewellers and art dealers.


There were some magnificent door knockers to be seen as well.


Everywhere in this city is so ornate.


The Basilica di Santa Croce, the Basilica of the Holy Cross, is the burial place of some of the most famous Italians. In the photo above is the tomb of Michelangelo...


...and in this photo the tomb of Galileo.

To see my video of our visit to Florence, click HERE.

To see some of the photos on Facebook, click HERE.

To see more photos of Florence, click HERE.