Florence, Lucca, Pisa, San G

On our last morning in Florence, we visited Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze (where Michelangelo’s statue of David resides for those of you just tuning in). We lucked out again having just booked an early skip-the-line tour the day prior, and were in a small group of four. We were able to view David without large crowds around us then went back to the earlier works as more people arrived. The unfinished sculptures were fascinating because here you can see how Michelangelo approached his art. He was a bit of a risk-taker, actually; instead of making a clay model and using it to work 360 around the marble, he let the form emerge out of the marble.

Leaving the gallery, we hurry back to pack because our checkout time is 10am sharp. Returning to get our car, the attendant shows frustration as we didn’t give him enough notice. So back into the streets for more sightseeing as we wait for our car to be retrieved from who knows where. Returning an hour later we see our car arrive but it gets buried with other cars and we wait 15 minutes longer watching a very laborious, circuitous, and passionate process.

And with the car retrieved, we head to Lucca, Pisa and then to San Gimignano where we will sleep.

Maybe we were tired or maybe our expectations were really high, but Lucca was just ok. We walked along the wall of the city but if we weren’t aware that we were up on a wall, you’d think you’re in any city street. Going down into the town, I can see it’s medieval charm. Lots of cafes and shops with high-end clothing, leather, and jewelry. There’s only so many times I can drag Tom out shopping and I didn’t want to use my credits here (so I feigned disinterest while doing side eyes into the store windows, we leave the town of Lucca).

We almost skipped Pisa after our “meh” experience in Lucca. Arriving in Pisa, we park directly across from the tower. The street was lined vendors appearing to be from India and Africa, which is different than we saw previously in Venice and Florence. Passing through the gate and with the mindset we were only taking a picture and leaving made us relax. Looking down the line of people taking the stereotypical picture was a light-hearted moment. After taking our silly pictures, we toured around and looked at the surrounding structures.

Leaving Pisa, we drove in the peaceful countryside of Tuscany, arriving to San Gimignano before sunset. Rick Steve’s didn’t have many nice things to say about this hill town but we found it much more interesting than Lucca. Walking the town was hilly but easy and rambling with breathtaking views. Our host, Pierluigi, was extremely gregarious and besides recommending an off-the-beaten path restaurant for dinner, presented me with a travel book as a gift for my upcoming birthday. I wish we had a longer stay, but now we enter the hiking stage of our trip.