sylvia’s travels

We’re all packed up and ready to go, only to load the car. Plan on leaving around 9 am for the airport in Pisa as our flight leaves 1 pm – allows us 2 hours to get there even though it is only 50 miles plus we’ll be there 2 hours ahead of time.

Around 4 am we are wakened by thunder, lightening and sleet pounding on our window. When we wake up the storm is over and the sky is pretty clear so we breathe a sigh of relief. Down to Principessa drive, turn right and not but a quarter mile later the road is blocked by a police car and it looks like they are working on a transformer or something; about a dozen cars lined up. Turn the car around, head back to Cavalagerri to see if there is another way to get to the freeway. Remember in San Vincenzo only one way to get under the railroad tracks in order to get to the freeway.

Oh yes she says about 4 km down the road take a left and that will lead us to the freeway. About 3-4 miles through wooded area I see the freeway and the overpass leading to it – yippee – only trouble is there are two police cars blocking the overpass. I signal to one of the offiicers, tell him we need to get to the airport in Pisa. Does he speak english? Noooo! He just says San Vincenzo, San Vincenzo. I try to tell him it is blocked but he no comprende. Several cars are turning around and following a road going north so figuring they might be locals and know what they’re about we follow them for about 5 miles. Sure enough an entrance to the freeway going north. This has taken us about 45 minutes – so much for our extra hour leeway.

Maggie delivers us to the car rental drop off, check in our car and haul our luggage over to a long line where we board a shuttle for the departure gate. Bedlam, the departure gates have one general line with a couple of hundred people in it and we have no idea where to check in. Thank goodness for the many english travelers, they knew exactly what to do and directed us to Lufthansa where there were only 3 people in front of us – we get checked in pretty quickly. Now we have plenty of time to relax, get something to eat or drink and wait for our flight. Except there is no place to sit and the only food is where you line up, get your stuff and stand up to eat it. Not good.

Since Rod has his cane we are able to board the bus and plane first – wow is that an advantage and we are met at the other end with a wheelchair. Our flight over the alps is beautiful and I am able to get a ton of pictures of them as well as the terrain since this plane flies so low – cool. The terminal is huge in Munich, a really long walk – at least 1 1/2 to 2 miles, but we just buzz right on thru, even customs, and we have a good hour to spend at our gate before take off. Here is a lovely restaurant so we order a panini (delicious) and wine and beer and people watch. Always fun to do.

Great trip, great adventures, sometimes scary, sometimes stressful. We sure saw a lot that we never would have seen on a tour – so we were very glad we did it this way.

Our last day as we fly out of Pisa for home tomorrow morning. Off to Castagneto Carducci. We had tried to find this place about a week ago but couldn’t find it. A beautiful drive up, up, up into the hills – upon arrival we realized we had actually been here but didn’t know it; so today we head out walking to take it all in. Easy place to walk as it is quite a small village, also easy to get lost as it goes in circles but you can’t really get lost because it does go in circles.

Castagneto Carducci is of medieval origins it is about 70 km north up in the hills; it was once surrounded by walls, but today only a section remains, which faces the sea. It was formerly called Castagneto Della Gherardesca from the name of the oldest Italian family whose origins go back to Barbarian invasions. The castle on Piazzale Belvedere (the views of the valley from here are incredible) built in the XIth Century, is still inhabited today by the family’s descendants. The name of the village was changed in 1907 from Castagneto Marittimo to that of Castagneto Carducci after the poet Giosue Carducci who lived here as an adolescent.

Hardly anyone on the streets so we don’t get too many pictures of people but we take a number of pictures of everything here as it is very picturesque. There is only one ristorante but it is not open yet so we wander around taking in all the tremendous views as you can see for miles from up here. The castle turns out to be most interesting as is the whole town so we spend a couple of hours just wandering.

We are hungry though, finally come across a little bar (as they call it) which has food, liquor, gelato etc. – these places you can get most anything in the way of a repast. We order a carpoletto which is kind of a biscotti and wine and sit out front where there are two little tables. When we are finished we get talking (more or less) to Michela and Annalisa who are the propietors – there is a kind of pie shaped thing sitting on the counter – something like a huge tart with berries on top called a Crostata marmalada di more, – we decide to try it. It is most delicious – kind of a hard crusty pastry with the cooked berries on top. We have a lot of fun trying to communicate with these two young people.

Now that we are fed it’s time to take in this little village. Meandering around these curvy lanes we discover the Gherardesca family castle which dominates this whole medieval village – see through the gate into their lovely garden, also the outside of the castle itself; and part of the ancient wall with its sentry post on the corner. The bell tower was rebuilt in 1930 by using stones from Donoratico (just down the road). Comune – the Town Hall is an old building near an arch that belonged to the old Medieval walls. From the piazza we get a circular view of the valleys below, you can even see the sea. Tuscany is truly beautiful country. What a lovely way to spend a day.
This village has such character, we take a myriad of pictures and now that we’re at home I am able to bring up all the history on it – I also get so involved reading up on all the places we’ve been that my pictures are going to have to wait until the lst of the year to do my dvd’s.

The drive back to San Vincenzo is just as lovely as the one up – we went back a little different route – but when we arrived in S. V. the sea was roiling and boiling, waves crashing in.   We had only known this sea calm and peaceful so this was exciting to observe it in another form – took a few pics of this difference.

This morning bright and early 8:30 we head down to La Principessa at the bottom of our drive where we are to meet our bus for our trip to Elba.  We are the last to be picked up ... [Continue reading this entry]

Another laid back day - exploring locally. For lunch we decide to explore the beach further on down and closer to town - our concierge gives us only one suggestion of a place on the beach. It is in the middle ... [Continue reading this entry]

Today we take country roads on the east side of the main highway and head north - through Cecina and Ponteginori to Volterra which rivals San Gimignano.   Volterra stands on a rocky hill 1770' above sea level, surrounded ... [Continue reading this entry]

Today is just a kick back day - do some laundry etc. After lunch we head back to Populonia to pick up a porcelain vinegar container that I had seen there previously. We again enjoy the lovely castle ... [Continue reading this entry]

Kind of slow getting started this morning - we don't get away until about 11 - plug in Maggie for shortest distance to Montepulciano which is in the center of Italy over by Chiusi and Perugia, south of Florence. She takes ... [Continue reading this entry]

Great sleep - we are on the 3rd floor, of course we didn't have any luggage anyway, the church bells are chiming, it is a lovely day. Took some pictures out of our window. Our hostess arrives ... [Continue reading this entry]

This morning we head for the Piombino docks to check out the ferries to Elba. Maggie takes us right there but not much to see. A typical seaport town, kind of dirty but we now know ... [Continue reading this entry]

San Vincenzo - in the province of Livorno, area ofTuscany is located just north of the island of Elba. This section of the Leghorn coast where San Vincenzo is found today has been inhabited since the ... [Continue reading this entry]