Bella Toscana!

22 September - 9 October 1999

In late September, Robert and Liza made their way to Pisa, Italy, for a much anticipated bicycle tour through the hilly Tuscany region (with Vermont Bicycle Tours), followed by a week in Florence for museums, art, and gelato...not to mention watching the World Road Cycling Championships on television. Here are a few (well, ok, nearly all!) of our photographs from the trip.

Click here for Liza's trip journal.

Click photos to enlarge

The famous Torre Pendente
The famous tower is actually the
campanile (bell tower) for the adjoining
Santa Maria Assunta cathedral (which itself is
sinking, although less noticeably). Note the
steel cabling from the tower going off to the left.
(The foundation was laid in 1173, but the
structure began to sink on the south side
before the third story was completed.) The builders attempted to correct the
situation with counterweights on the north
and by slightly increasing the height of the
walls on the overhanging side, to no avail.
Construction was halted for nearly 100 years,
resuming in 1272; these builders tried to
counteract the tilt by angling the axis of the
upper stories more towards vertical. As a result,
the tower not only leans, but has a definite curve
to it. It's currently about 16 feet off from vertical.

Counterweights

A hacked photo with us both
in it :-)

The freestanding Baptistery,
under renovation when we
were there

Robert at the Camposanto,
Pisa

Robert on the train

Liza at the Pisa train station

Robert with Renate and family -
Waldo, Manuel, and Clara at
their home in Castelnuovo Val
di Cecina
Robert emerging from a church
in Volterra with his cousin Renate

Liza meets the tour bus
outside the Hotel Grand
Duomo in Pisa

On the road to San Gimignano

Each day there were short and long
rides, was sometimes hard to decide
which way to go

Liza and Robert in San Gimignano,
tired but happy after a good day's ride

The "big tower" in San
Gimignano - one of 72 towers
of which 13 remain

View from San Gimignano

Mensano
Casole d'Elsa

Liza on a quiet side
street in Casole d'Elsa

"Are we there yet?" - Robert
in Pievascola en route to
Sovicille

Olive groves at Villa Cennina

Villa Cennina, interior

Robert enjoying a glass
of wine in the garden at
Villa Cennina outside
Sovicille

Next to Siena!
Siena is said to be second
only to Florence in art and
architecture, as evidenced by
the Palazzo Pubblico, built
1288-1309

Cycling group in Siena waiting to
see the Palio al Cinema film

In Siena, the buildings watched you!

Santa Maria Assunta in Siena

Liza resting on the steps of the
cathedral in Siena

Love the green and white
marble striping

The Italian gothic cathedral,
Santa Maria Assunta, in
Siena

Siena's Piazza del Campo, site of the
famous Palio horse race

Monte Oliveto Maggiore, an abbey
founded by a follower of St Benedict
in 1313 and largely build 1387-1514

Admiring frescoes at Monte
Oliveto Maggiore, an abbey founded
by a follower of St Benedict in 1313
and largely build 1387-1514

Francois of VBT preparing
our bicycles after our abbey
tour

Robert smiles despite having
just ridden up a 15% grade

Liza celebrating a tough climb

Another hilltop destination - Trequanda

On the road! And it's flat!

Liza too!

Liza with tour leaders Francois
and Denis most of the way up the
last climb of that day

Robert and Liza still on the road
to Pienza

Last stop on the tour -
Pienza - Liza at the gate
to the town

Courtyard of our hotel, Il Chiostro
di Pienza

Our view from our hotel
in Pienza

Fellow cyclists on the road from
Pienza (on hilltop in background)

Robert and Liza outside Pienza

Montepulciano, with the Church of
the Madonna di San Biaggio in the
foreground

Locking up the bikes in
Montepulciano

Shopping for olive oil,
wine, cheese, salami in
Montepulciano

With roads this narrow, you can
see why a Vespa would be the
vehicle of choice

View from the window at the Villa...

Cycling tour group photo

All roads lead to Rome?

But we went back to Florence...
Florence skyline - a bit smoggy - but
the dome of the cathedral still
dominates

Robert rubbing the snout of the
good luck boar, Florence

Hard to get lost in Florence -
just look for the dome of the
cathedral, which dominates
the skyline

A bit of detail from the
facade of the cathedral,
Florence

Robert and the throngs at the
fabled bronze east doors of
the Baptistery, executed 1425-1452
by Lorenzo Ghiberti, depicting
scenes from the Old Testament.
(Actually these are casts, the originals
are indoors somewhere.)
Santa Maria Novella church,
Florence

Robert at the Ponte Vecchio,
Florence

The Piazza della Repubblica,
Florence

Our hotel in Florence - see Robert
in the window?

The Porta Romana in Florence

Facade of the church San
Miniato del Monte, Florence

Robert outside Vivoli's,
world's best gelati, Florence

The facade of the San Andrea
church in Pistoia

There is only one David -
and a lot of copies

Click photos to enlarge
The famous Torre Pendente	The famous tower is actually the campanile (bell tower) for the adjoining Santa Maria Assunta cathedral (which itself is sinking, although less noticeably). Note the steel cabling from the tower going off to the left. (The foundation was laid in 1173, but the structure began to sink on the south side before the third story was completed.)	The builders attempted to correct the situation with counterweights on the north and by slightly increasing the height of the walls on the overhanging side, to no avail. Construction was halted for nearly 100 years, resuming in 1272; these builders tried to counteract the tilt by angling the axis of the upper stories more towards vertical. As a result, the tower not only leans, but has a definite curve to it. It's currently about 16 feet off from vertical.	Counterweights
A hacked photo with us both in it :-)	The freestanding Baptistery, under renovation when we were there	Robert at the Camposanto, Pisa	Robert on the train
Liza at the Pisa train station	Robert with Renate and family - Waldo, Manuel, and Clara at their home in Castelnuovo Val di Cecina	Robert emerging from a church in Volterra with his cousin Renate	Liza meets the tour bus outside the Hotel Grand Duomo in Pisa
On the road to San Gimignano	Each day there were short and long rides, was sometimes hard to decide which way to go	Liza and Robert in San Gimignano, tired but happy after a good day's ride	The "big tower" in San Gimignano - one of 72 towers of which 13 remain
View from San Gimignano	Mensano	Casole d'Elsa	Liza on a quiet side street in Casole d'Elsa
"Are we there yet?" - Robert in Pievascola en route to Sovicille	Olive groves at Villa Cennina	Villa Cennina, interior	Robert enjoying a glass of wine in the garden at Villa Cennina outside Sovicille
Next to Siena! Siena is said to be second only to Florence in art and architecture, as evidenced by the Palazzo Pubblico, built 1288-1309	Cycling group in Siena waiting to see the Palio al Cinema film	In Siena, the buildings watched you!	Santa Maria Assunta in Siena
Liza resting on the steps of the cathedral in Siena	Love the green and white marble striping	The Italian gothic cathedral, Santa Maria Assunta, in Siena	Siena's Piazza del Campo, site of the famous Palio horse race
Monte Oliveto Maggiore, an abbey founded by a follower of St Benedict in 1313 and largely build 1387-1514	Admiring frescoes at Monte Oliveto Maggiore, an abbey founded by a follower of St Benedict in 1313 and largely build 1387-1514	Francois of VBT preparing our bicycles after our abbey tour	Robert smiles despite having just ridden up a 15% grade
Liza celebrating a tough climb	Another hilltop destination - Trequanda	On the road! And it's flat!	Liza too!
Liza with tour leaders Francois and Denis most of the way up the last climb of that day	Robert and Liza still on the road to Pienza	Last stop on the tour - Pienza - Liza at the gate to the town	Courtyard of our hotel, Il Chiostro di Pienza
Our view from our hotel in Pienza	Fellow cyclists on the road from Pienza (on hilltop in background)	Robert and Liza outside Pienza	Montepulciano, with the Church of the Madonna di San Biaggio in the foreground
Locking up the bikes in Montepulciano	Shopping for olive oil, wine, cheese, salami in Montepulciano	With roads this narrow, you can see why a Vespa would be the vehicle of choice	View from the window at the Villa...
Cycling tour group photo	All roads lead to Rome?	But we went back to Florence... Florence skyline - a bit smoggy - but the dome of the cathedral still dominates	Robert rubbing the snout of the good luck boar, Florence
Hard to get lost in Florence - just look for the dome of the cathedral, which dominates the skyline	A bit of detail from the facade of the cathedral, Florence	Robert and the throngs at the fabled bronze east doors of the Baptistery, executed 1425-1452 by Lorenzo Ghiberti, depicting scenes from the Old Testament. (Actually these are casts, the originals are indoors somewhere.)	Santa Maria Novella church, Florence
Robert at the Ponte Vecchio, Florence	The Piazza della Repubblica, Florence	Our hotel in Florence - see Robert in the window?	The Porta Romana in Florence
Facade of the church San Miniato del Monte, Florence	Robert outside Vivoli's, world's best gelati, Florence	The facade of the San Andrea church in Pistoia	There is only one David - and a lot of copies