Our last full day in Tuscany we decided to head down to a town called Saturnia. We had seen postcards of it and decided, why not? It was a 3+ hour trip each way, through very small winding roads that you thought would not take you anywhere, but we finally made it. Saturnia is known for it's natural thermal springs. The ones that smell like sulfur. It's absolutely beautiful though. The rocks are all stained white and the water rushes down from this massive waterfall. We put on our suits and ended up playing in the rocky area for about an hour before deciding to get back on the road.
Greg in the Saturnia springs:
Me in the springs:
The Saturnia Thermal Springs:
We snacked along the way, saving our appetite for dinner and started heading back to Greve. On the journey back we got caught in a detour and had to take some rather interesting roads back. The main one led us through this tree lined path that looked more like a driveway in Gone with the Wind and then actually through a small river. Greg said we were getting our tires cleaned for free. We even managed to go down a road that our small care barely fit down.
The little river we had to drive over:
Whew! We made it back to the apartment and decided to hang out by the pool for a bit. We were going to go swimming but the water wasn't quite warm enough so we just hung out with our legs dangling in the water and enjoying some of our prosecco that we had bought. We then decided we needed a shower before dinner, since we smelled like rotten eggs.
Us by the pool:
Since this was our last night in Tuscany we hit the back roads to the rural restaurant from the other night and ate at La Cantinetta di Rignana. Greg had the Bisteca Fiorentina and I had potato ravioli. Greg had been waiting for this steak, but it was highly recommended. Most restaurants only serve it as a 1 kilo steak (Massive doesn't describe it), but this restaurant actually cuts it for you to the size you want. Greg told them he wanted a small one and still ended up with one that was almost 1/2 kilo, it was still huge and Greg didn't even finish it. We had a great dinner, the service was great, and we were at a table where we could watch the kitchen, so it was a nice time. With our bellies full we headed back to the apartment to play some cards and finish packing for tomorrow.
Greg's steak:
Saturday, June 13, 2009
We finished packing and checked out of our apartment and immediately got in the car towards Florence. We were going to hit some of the spots that we missed on Sunday before getting on the train to Naples. Our first stop was at Piazzale Michelangelo to see the 3rd David statue. This one was just as big, but it was bronze, and since it was outside, completely green.
The other David statue:
Greg and me at Piazzale Michelangelo:
Views of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo:
We then drove towards the train station and found a spot to park at before running into Deanna's for a pastry and Cappuccino for Greg. Now that we had some sugar in us we headed by Santa Maria Novella and then the Museo dell'Opera. It was closing last time we came by so this time we were able to go in and actually see the 2nd Pieta by Michelangelo (we saw the 1st one in Rome).
Donatello statue at Museo dell'Opera:
Michelangelo's Pieta:
After we walked through and saw everything the Museo dell'Opera had to offer we went by Santa Croce to see the tombs of Michelangelo, Dante, and Galileo. The rest of the church was closed for service but the tombs were in the back where you could still see them and take pictures. From there we went by a local favorite, Gelateria La Carraia 2, for some yummy gelato (Yes before lunch).
Tomb of Michelangelo:
Tomb of Dante:
Tomb of Galileo:
After the gelato we went to the Museo del Bargello to see the Donatello & Michelangelo statues, as well as others. This building was once a Cathedral that was turned into a prison, so you could see where the walls had been covered in beautiful frescoes, then covered in cement during the prison time, and now the frescoes were slowly being recovered. We then found a small pizzeria to have a quick lunch before getting to the train station.
Donatello statue:
Room that was a former prison:
The train trip to Naples was very uneventful, we just looked at books and talked for the entire journey. When we arrived in Naples it was like complete culture shock. Tuscany had been so easy going and laid back but Naples was absolute chaos. The cars here basically drive wherever they want, whenever they want, and the scooters just go whichever way they choose. It was complete madness and I am sooooo glad we did not choose to drive around here. We took a 20 minute cab ride to our hotel, mainly because we got stopped for a motorcade, and it was only 8 euro, we were shocked at how cheap a taxi is here.
We got to our hotel and were so pleasantly surprised, we knew it was nice but didn't realize how nice. It is a 4 star hotel right on the water front, across from Castel Dell'Ovo and had amazing rooms and views. It is one of those hotels that they use for conferences all of the time. We got to our room and then decided to take a walk down the water front. We walked by Castel dell'Ovo towards Santa Lucia and could actually see Mt. Vesuvius. We went by the Fontana Dell'Immacolatello and then back to the hotel to change out of our shorts and sweaty tops. We realized that everyone there was dressed just a bit better than us so we got some nicer clothes on and headed to dinner at a restaurant right down the road, called Regina Margherita.
Marina near our hotel:
Our first view of Mount Vesuvius:
Fontana Dell'Immacolatello:
Us at the waterfront:
Castel dell'Ovo:
Quite interestingly it is a pizzeria that does sushi as well. So that's what we had, sushi & pizza, good combination (almost as good as sushi & burritos, but not quite). It was a great meal but we were exhausted, so it was time for bed.
Sushi and Pizza...yummy:
No comments:
Post a Comment