Trip to Tuscany with Travel Department

The Dublin to Pisa flight with Aer Lingus on our Travel Department Holiday to Tuscany was pain-free and on time. We were met in Pisa by our guide Claudia and were in our hotel by 11 am on day 1.

Our first impressions of Tuscany were that it looked very much like Ireland. Its terrain was green and luscious and we had arrived to torrential rain. And God knows we have had our fair share of rain recently, though the morning we had left for Italy, Dublin was enjoying rare sunshine!

MONTECATINI

Our base was the charming spa town of Montecatini Terme, now part of the UNESCO World Heritage list as one of the great spa towns of Europe, popular from the 1700s to the 1930s.  This was perfectly situated for our day visits to Florence, Siena, Pisa and Lucca and meant we were never very long on the bus. All trips were under the hour.

There were plenty of shops, restaurants and coffee shops right beside our hotel, The Grand Hotel Plaza & Locanda Maggiore.

The hotel staff was charming and friendly. We ate dinner as a group in a beautiful dining room with a high ceiling, beautiful plasterwork, mirrors and chandeliers!

Hotel food was good if you like Italian food which we do. I came back having added a few pounds, as we had five courses every night.

So, it was easy to amuse ourselves on day one, strolling around and admiring the beautiful buildings and having a lovely lunch with wine and a nap after our early start. Yes, I am that age!

And then we had the medieval old town Montecatini Alto with its cobbled streets sitting atop a mountain, overlooking its more modern sister.

We spent a few hours exploring and enjoying what it had to offer.

Part of the fun was the ride on a funicular/cable car to get there and back.

They use two red-painted iron trains in Art Nouveau style, that have not been replaced since 1896.

DAY TRIPS

FLORENCE

Florence is undoubtedly beautiful, but also a bit overwhelming. Certainly, the day we were there it was packed tightly with tourists and school groups. The historic centre is brimming with buildings that date as far back as the Renaissance.  We had a local guide who brought us around to the main sights including the Ponte Vecchio (below), a medieval stone bridge over the Arno river.  The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during World War Two, it is noted for the shops built along it.

I won’t forget turning a corner and suddenly seeing The Duomo (Cathedral) in all its magnificence dominating its surroundings.

We went around the leather market and spent at least an hour in the fabulous Sante Croce church (below), over 800 years old.

There was plenty to see, monuments and memorials to Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo and magnificent frescoes by Giotto.

We had intended to return to Florence a second day, but decided against it because of the crowds. Some of our group had booked The Uffizi to see Michelangelo’s statue of David and it was easy to get back into Florence on the train which was only minutes from our hotel. We made do with the replica sitting on the square near Palazzo Vecchio. My advice is to book months in advance if you want to visit The Uffizi or The Duomo.

 

PISTOIA

Instead of returning to Florence on Day 4, we opted to take the local train to the nearby town of Pistoia. There was a large local market and plenty to see and do.

SIENA

Siena totally transported us back to the Middle Ages. A Gothic city, laid out over the slopes of three steep hills whose soil yields the pigment Burnt Sienna, it has remained practically unchanged since medieval times. We arrived to a very colourful pageant, celebrating St Catherine, with drummers and flag-bearers in bright medieval costumes representing each ‘contrade’ (district) of the city.

I could have spent the entire afternoon sitting, eating and drinking in the sun in The Piazza del Campo, the main town square, watching the world go by (see below).

It’s also home to the Palio, one of the most famous horseraces in the world, involving bareback riders racing on sand-covered cobblestones.

SAN GIMIGNANO

Oh how we fell in love with this beautiful hilltop town, surrounded by medieval walls. It felt as if we were stepping back in time as we explored the narrow streets and wandered around the piazzas.

Below you can see the queue for ice cream in the Piazza del Cisterna.

We also sat in a local cafe, sipping the local Vernaccia wine, for which we had developed quite a taste.

LUCCA & PISA

Unfortunately, the good weather did not last and we visited Lucca, the birthplace of Puccini (below), in a downpour.

But we made the most of it and our guide showed us all the main sights. Umbrellas were mandatory.

It was ‘pimply sissing’ in Pisa when we arrived, so GG and I retired to a local restaurant for lunch and a bottle of wine, while the hardier girls and guys did the tour. When the rain stopped, we wandered around and tried to get the iconic photo pushing the tower over. Major fail for both of us.

OPTIONAL TOURS

Many of us opted to attend a Puccini concert, marking the 100th anniversary of his death. And even non opera-goers like ourselves loved it. First of all the surroundings of the Terme Tettuccio spa were beautiful and the concert itself was absolutely wonderful.

Another highlight was a Tuscan lunch in a local vineyard. We were taken around part of the olive groves and vineyard before enjoying a beautiful lunch with plenty of vino.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Another enjoyable trip with Travel Department completed, Graham and I counted that it was our 12th trip starting in 2007 with a trip to South Africa, way before I started my blog.

People ask me why we choose to travel with them?

• We are lazy and like someone else doing all the leg work. In this case, Travel Department. We have used them for several long-haul trips, with internal flights and multiple locations which would be a nightmare to organise on your own.
• If something goes wrong, e.g. a cancelled flight, Travel Department sorts it out.
• We have always found the guides excellent. Our Tuscan guide Claudia was exceptional. Organised, efficient and professional, she also luckily had a good sense of humour. Nothing was too much trouble for her. She was always contactable and had maps of towns and train timetables available for us.
• Because it is a guided/group trip, you have people to chat with and have the craic. Equally, you can avoid people if you wish.

But what an absolutely lovely group we had. I could not believe that I met someone I was in school with and another who was from the same village I lived near as a child. We really enjoyed meeting up at dinner and talking with different people.

Those of you who travel in group situations know that timekeeping is important; this group was exemplary. Many were repeat customers and we shared our experiences of previous holidays and recommended our favourites.

You can read reviews of some other gifted/press trips I have done with Travel Department over the  past few years by clicking on the links below.

Slovenia

Danube Cruise

Salamanca

Thanks for reading as always.

Love Hilda x

*press trip