T_24_1108Tuscan steak The last night's dinner at Santa Vittoria was this exquisite Tuscan steak, which the four of us shared.

T_24_1101 This was the view from our breakfast table the next morning.

Then we headed to the hill town of San Gimingano. T_24_1113 T_24_1142 This was our first sighting of the town and its towers.

San Gimignano has 14 of these medieval towers still standing, of the original 72. These towers were built by the town's noble families, either for protection or to display their wealth.

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This is the only tower open to the public. I climbed its 218 steps to the top.

From here, I could look down on the square and streets below.

T_24_1128 T_24_1125 It also provided great views of the surrounding countryside.

T_24_1129 T_24_1132 Back in town, there were the usual tourist traps and food vendors.

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T_24_1137Reciting Dante's Inferno

This man was reciting Dante's "Inferno", in Italian, so it meant nothing to me.

San Gimignano was a must visit because of its hilltop setting and its famous towers, but not much else.

Last October we travelled to the Tuscany region of Italy. As I process my images from this trip, I will post blogs of our travels there.

This is the second posting about our Tuscan adventure.

T_24_1065Volterra sign Volterra, an Etruscan town, boasts this ancient Roman theatre.

T_24_1071Roman Theatre

T_24_1075 This small lizard I photographed above the theatre.

We then walked in the town. Here are a few random photos from there.

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What would a stroll in a Tuscan town be without browsing in a wine shop?

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P_24_0172 Lunch is another necessity, even if we do not always drink wine.

We then left Volterra to find lodgings that we had booked. But we were unable to find the place. By luck we had not paid any deposit, so as evening approached, we drove up to an agriturismo (working farms that also offer rooms and sometimes meals to travellers).

This was Agriturismo Santa Vittoria.

P_24_0175 Luigi, the owner, was able to accommodate us for the next two nights.

The views from its hilltop location were magnificent.

T_24_1087View from Agriturismo Santa Vittoria T_24_1089Cleaning wild mushrooms Luigi's wife was cleaning the day's picked wild mushrooms as we arrived.

T_24_1091View from Agriturismo Santa Vittoria

This was the view from the restaurant. T_24_1096View from Agriturismo Santa Vittoria We enjoyed a fine dinner with the requisite wine in Luigi's restaurant that first evening.

The following evening we dined on Florentine steak, one of the best meals of the trip.

Welcome to 2025.

Last October, we travelled in Tuscany for three weeks.

We flew into Milan, picked up our rented car, and drove to Pisa.

Our rental car, Renault Arkana This is our rental, a brand new Renault Arkana.

T_24_1041Tuscany House

This is our Airbnb in Pisa, Tuscany House, on the right.

T_24_1042Lilliin A short walk down the street was this cafe and bar, called Lilliin.

T_24_1044Lilliin This was a great place to have our breakfast. No need to shop for food items to cook ourselves.

After our morning croissants and coffee, it was time to find our way to Pisa's Field of Miracles.

T_24_1045Leaning Tower of Pisa

T_24_1061 This is the Duomo, the huge Pisan Romanesque Cathedral.

T_24_1049Duomo and
Leaning Tower of Pisa

Next to the Duomo was the reason we came here, to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.

T_24_1050Leaning Tower of Pisa P_24_0164Leaning Tower of Pisa

Just to keep us safe, Veda is propping up the leaning tower.

After touring the grounds of The Field of Miracles, we wandered outside the walls to find a lunch place.

T_24_1064 And what else other than pizza would we lunch on while in Italy.

We then returned to our lodgings, Tuscany House.

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Ending our first full day in Tuscany with snacks and a bottle of Brunello.

The next day we would venture further into Tuscany.