One of the reasons we visited Italy is because Alan is a mad keen Motor cycle racing fan who wanted to see his hero, Valentino Rossi win the San Marino Motorcycle Grand Prix which is held in Italy close to San Marino. Here is Al and Eve dressed up for their day at the GP wearing their Rossi Tee Shirts. Unfortunately Rossi came second!
Later we all had to go to a village called Tuvallia located near the race track where Valentino Rossi's family run a pizza restaurant which is also a shrine to the great man himself. Hre is Al standing outside the memorabilia shop disappointed that he could not get a new Tee Shirt - They didn't have his size. But the Pizzas were nice.
The view towards San Marino from the Pizza Shop
On the day Eve and Al went to the races, Mum and I visited the town and castle of Gradara not far from San Marino and Rimini. This is a view of the town gates
Looking down the main street from the entrance of the castle
Two views of the castle. Apparently Dante based his Inferno on events that occurred at this castle.
The town walls
Next we drove to Urbino, another walled town, which was not far inland from Gradara.
The gates to the city
A small street just inside the gate
The cathedral or Duomo
A statue in a courtyard through an arch
Next we moved to a camping park near a town called Figline Valdarno which in turn is near Florence. Valdarno in the name means Valley of the River Arno which flows near by. This is a photo of a row of cabins of which ours is the third one in. It was nice to be able to sit out on the veranda almost every morning for breakfast. One morning the trees were alive with little squirrels running up and down the trees
It was a very large but nice holiday park with a nice fountain in the restaurant/shopping area
At night the fountain was floodlit and continuously changed colours
as seen in this one of Eve and Al infront of the fountain
Figline Valdarno is located in the Chianti District of Tuscany famed for Chianti Wines
We visited Siena home of the famous Palio which is held only twice a year (and not whilst we were there!)
Siena Cathedral (duomo)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena_Cathedral
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena_Cathedral
In front of the cathedral of a she-wolf suckling the young twins Romulus and Remus (who according to legend, founded Rome). According to another legend Senius, son of Remus founded Siena. The bird is real and not part of the statue
The interior of the cathedral was breathtaking (and crowded!)
The Baptistery is located under the cathedral
A living statue on the street near the cathedral
The rain started to fall as we left Siena
Which meant that photographs of the views become more difficult
We arrived at San Gimignano, yet another walled town in Tuscany, where we had an extremely wet tour
The wine museum
There were a number of these well endowed statues in the town!
Wine Tasting at a winery near San Gimignano
We spent an eventful day in Florence. We started off at the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence#Squares.2C_streets_and_parks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence#Squares.2C_streets_and_parks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral
The main door and the murals flanking the door
The Baptistery
"The gates of Paradise" One of the doors to the Baptistery
Some individual panels from that door
The fountain of Neptune
The famous statue of David at the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio
The Gorgons Head
The rape of th sabine Women
Statue of Machiavelli outside the Uffizi Gallery
Yet another living statue
The famous Ponte Vecchio spanning the River Arno
Amongst the crowds on the bridge.
The only downside of our day in Florence was that Mum became a victim of pickpockets in the Piazza that surrounds the Cathedral. They very carefully removed her wallet from her back pack whilst we were walking around the Piazza. It was a very big shock to her as well to the rest of us. The police in Florence were not much help, but the local police station at Figline Valdarno were most sympathetic and helpful. I think we are mostly over it now.
But let it serve as a warning to others - it is very easy to get complacent when travelling. Always make sure that your valuables are secure
The famous leaning tower of Pisa with the Cathedral behind
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa
The cathedral
A horse waiting to be hired by a tourist with the leaning tower behind
Coffee at a restaurant near the leaning tower
I think that this might be the restaurant that wouldn't serve us back in 1972 because our hair was too long - but I might be wrong - it was a long time ago!
Incidentally, this is the last major city that the River Arno passes through before it enters the sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno
One of the gates into the walled city of Lucca
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca
The Basilica of San Frediano
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Frediano
The entrance to the the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
Inside the Piazza. The buildings around the Piazza are built over the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre thus preserving the ghost of that building
The only downside of our day in Florence was that Mum became a victim of pickpockets in the Piazza that surrounds the Cathedral. They very carefully removed her wallet from her back pack whilst we were walking around the Piazza. It was a very big shock to her as well to the rest of us. The police in Florence were not much help, but the local police station at Figline Valdarno were most sympathetic and helpful. I think we are mostly over it now.
But let it serve as a warning to others - it is very easy to get complacent when travelling. Always make sure that your valuables are secure
The famous leaning tower of Pisa with the Cathedral behind
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa
Incidentally, this is the last major city that the River Arno passes through before it enters the sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Frediano
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