95. Bernice and Laura

Day 1. Pisa

Our return home after 9 days in Sardegna and 1 in Rome is to a house full of wasps! So we sleep in Lucia’s spare bedsit.

Two days of cleaning and shopping ensue, in preparation for our first visitors of the summer, Annette’s niece, Bernice and her friend, Laura. We pick them up from Pisa airport at 3.45pm and then drive into town for the obligatory stroll round the Campo dei Miracoli. Only this time we actually get to go up the tower! They’ve finished restoring it and the limited number of people allowed to go up has been extended! It’s a surreal experience as the lean makes it appear as though you are walking down when infact you are walking up! We also have a peak at Pisa’s ‘other’ square, Piazza dei Cavaliere, which is slightly disappointing...

Home and dinner and we catch up on what’s new in Worthing! Rounding off a pleasant first half day.

Day 2
 

After 100 days without rain the heavens finally open! No problem as we're in Florence for the day and the girls get to see that big 'Dave' guy at the Accademia and I get to buy those new 'And1' trainers I've had my eyes on! Ice cream in Piazza Signoria and panoramic views up Piazzale bring day 2 to a close.
 
Day 3, Friday and the sun is back out for our trip to San Gimignano. We stop for a picnic lunch at our usual spot on the Francigena and spend a few hours in the medievil city - more ice cream in our favourite gelateria, with champelmo, vernaccia and chocolate and ginger flavours! Mmm
 
In the evening we treat the girls to a yummy meal at La Paglietta in San Polo
 

Saturday is beach day! A rather late start and we stop near the Villa San Andrea for some photos in this field of Sunflowers... well we are in Tuscany! Our next impromptu stop is in Bolgheri to see 'those' trees and means we don't hit the beach at Cala Violina until 1 o'clock... mad dogs and Englishmen! But the beach is beautiful, water crystal clear, the sun is out and the temperature is about 40° C. Unfortunately our stay is cut a little short due to a wasp invasion. It's just too hot even for them and so we head back to San Vincenzo for a sunset walk on the beach and shower. We stop for a wicked pizza in 'Number One' and at 10.30 pm the town is packed with young poseurs! We stroll around and buy some jumpers in the sales and the girls buy some gifts at the midnight market. This is the kind of evening it's impossible to have in England and one of the reasons we love Italy so much... We leave at 12.30am and get back home sometime around 3am!
 
Sunday and we all sleep till about 2pm! understandably... We have a lazy brunch outside in our woods and fall into our local pool at Greve for some 'waspless' swimming and sunbathing!
 
Monday and we spend all day at the pool, only tearing ourselves away for a pre-dinner aperitivo!
 
Tuesday and it's Bernice and Laura's last full day in Tuscany and market day in Florence at the Cascina park... We enjoy an early morning stroll with them and we pick up some plants and they buy some bargain clothes. We drive into the city and have lunch outside the Pitti palace and they get their first walk over the Ponte Vecchio. They are tempted by the street artists and so go in search of one worthy to immortaslize them in charcoal. Eventually they find an Algerian guy outside the Duomo and we spend a couple of hours in 42°C heat watching in amazement .
 

Back home to Greve and we cook up a late night meal and eat outside in the woods with some candles and scary stories to bring to an end a great week's holiday.
 
Wednesday and a 9.30am start for our drive to Pisa airport and last goodbyes, a very enjoyable week finishes where it started... However, rather than turn the car around we decide on another plan...
 
 
(Original journal entry 6/8/03)