Only one week back from our Greek holiday and we're playing hosts to my mum, on her third visit and my grandma on her second visit.
Another late pick up from Pisa airport on the Thursday evening and very slow drive home in torrential rain.
Day 1 - Friday and the rain is still bucketing it down. We shelve the 'pool' plan and head to the centre of Florence to check out the Medici tombs in San Lorenzo. I don't know whether the 8 Michelangelo sculptures impressed, but, hey they didn't have to walk too far!
After popping back home it's on to Greve for a look at this year's wine festival and surprise surprise, they've postponed it until tomorrow due to the bad weather... the forecast doesn't look good! Oh dear...
Day 2 - Saturday and things are looking better... it has rained all night, but Mr sun has got his hat on today! Destination - Lucca
A 10 am start means we arrive before lunch time. My brainwave idea of a 4-man (well 1 man 3 women!) bike ride around the walls doesn't happen, as 4-wheel bikes have been banned by the local council! (spoil sports) Anyhow, a nice stroll around the streets is the order of the day. They enjoy the piazza del duomo and today there is a busker singing 'O sole mio' (which my grandma joins in!)
We stop for a cool lunch in the even cooler Piazza San Martino (after an aborted start in a bar, where the owner actually attacked my mum!) Dining al-fresco in September.
In the afternoon. We check out the 'Torre Guinigi', the tower with the trees growing... I go up with Annette and mum, while grandma waits at the bottom. There are some great views from the top.
Then it's on to Piazza Anfiteatro for an ice-cream and we finish on the walls overlooking the very beautiful Palazzo Pfanner Contrini (where they filmed some scenes from the film 'Portrait of a Lady') We decide to stay in lovely Lucca for dinner and by chance find a superb Osteria, called 'Baralla'. We snag the last outside table and bring a great day to a happy conclusion.
Day 3 - Sunday and again the weather is glorious. After a late start we head down the A-1 motorway towards Montepulciano. We stop off for a picnic lunch in an olive grove, with a spectacular view. I manage to drop grandma, mum and Annette off close to the main square and we meet in a bar. All the scaffolding has gone from the square and so we enjoy it in all its glory. We check out a couple of wine cellars and even get to taste several wines - including the best wines of Montepulciano, a 2001 'Asinone' - in the Poliziano enoteca. After a brief downpour we head out of the city by way of the church of San Biaggio - still as impressive as ever! We also pick up some 'vino sfuso' from the cantina cooperative.
Day 4 - Monday and a lesson cancellation means I'm free to accompany the ladies into Florence. My grandma seems to have forgotten most of what she saw two years ago... age! After lunch we take the bus to Piazza Duomo - today the centre is packed (two years ago when she came it was Ferragosto and Florence was like a ghost town) We walk down via Calzaiuolo to Piazza Signoria, which is now scaffold free and past the Ufffizi to the Arno to see the Ponte Vecchio - maximum sights wiyth as little walking as possible! We take the small electric bus to Santa Croce - unfortunately we have just missed last entrance, but we settle for an aperitivo in a café.
Day 5 and the temperature is back up to 30°C and so we head out to the big park at Pratolino - which is closed... D'oh! It's only open from Thursday to Sunday! So we head up Monte Morello for our picnic and lazy afternoon relaxing on the rug. Annette and I are both working this evening, so we book a table at Vico del Carmine for a pizza.
Day 6 - and its their last full day... and the beach is the request. So its's an early start for the two-hour drive and by midday we hit sand! San Vincenzo is my choice. It's a bit breezy and for a Wednesday in September the beach is almost completely empty! We enjoy our picnic lunch and then mum and grandma launch themselves into the sea... Afterwards we pop into town for a stroll and then head back to Florence for the turn-around shower and change and head out for our last meal at Inalbi in Impruneta. There are no discounts this time, but the price is reasonable and the food very nice.
Day 7 and a morning excursion for the ladies to the supermarket for some goodies and presents to take home. I drive them back to Pisa airport after lunch and we bid them our sad farewells... We drive back home and collapse in a heap -but we have bacon, biscuits and chocolate to keep us happy!!!
(Original journal entry 15/9/05)
