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| Rome has been the center of the civilized world for many centuries, and still is for catholicism. Walking in Rome, is like visiting an open air museum. I cannot imagine there is any other city in the world that is so densely packed with churches, museums, fountains or relics from the romans. You can easily pass more than a week in Rome, rushing from one highlight to the other, and still have the feeling that there's so much more. Of course the Colloseum and Furom Romanum are a must as part of the Roman legacy. There's an absolute overkill in churches built in Renaissance, Baroque, Roman or Gothic styles. We particularly liked San Clemente, built on older churches that you can visit beneath the current one. Many churches are actually 'little' museums by themselves as well, since they contain many fine pieces of art, such as works from Bernini and Carvaggio. If you're interested in these latter two fellows a visit to Villa Borghese is a must (make a reservation beforehand): beautiful paintings and marble statues form these artists amonsgt others fill this museum. Last but definately not least there a city in a city: The Vatica. Its grandeur is overwhelming. If you're not afraid of hight try to get to the top of the dome with a fantastic view over Rome as the reward. The Vatican Museums are yet another highlight with paintings from raphael and of course its masterpiece: the sistine Chapel from Michelangelo. If you want to get away from the busy city, take a bus to Tivoli to visit Villa d'Este, with its splendid gardens filled with fountains, or Villa Adriana, the old summer residence of Emperor Adrian. |
| Florence, as the cradle of the Reanaissance, is an absolute must for anyone faintly interested in art. In terms of architecture, the cathedral, its adjacant baptistry, the ponte vecchio and and the old palace (Palazzo vecchio) stand out. Churches like the Santa Croce (containing the grave of Michelangelo), the Santa Maria Novella (harbouring a fresco by Massaccio as the first to really use perspective) and the Chapel of the Medici (with tombs designed by Michelangelo) are definately worth a visit too. And finally, museums like the Uffizi and Galleria dell'Academia are unavoidable. They contain all the main masterpieces of the Renaissance, such as the statue of David (by Michelangelo), paintings from Botticelli, da Vinci, Lippi, Raphael and again Michelangelo. Be sure however, to book a ticket in advance, cos otherwise you be waiting in long cues. Luckily there are plenty restaurants and bars, though quite expensive in the center, that can be a welcome distraction from all the cultural impressions. Please go to Gelateria Vivilo hat sells the best icecreams you can imagen! We camped on a very decent city campsite on the southern banks of the Arno River. A good low budget option for visiting Florence and close by is a viewing platform with magnificant vies over the Arno and Florence. We also visited Fiesole, an old Roman town just north of Florence, with a nice amphitheatre. |
| Pisa is synonyme for its Leaning Tower. or torre pendente. All tourists congregate at the Campo dei Miracoli, the square where the Baptistry, the cathedral and the leaning bell tower are located. Alltogther it's a truly spectacular sight. The white buildings make a nice contrast with the green grass and blue sky. The interior of the Cathedral is also very beautiful and worth visiting. When we were there, the tower was off limits, but as I understood tourists can now sfely climb the leaning tower again. The rest of Pisa is not very interesting, but only Campo dei Miracoli is already worth the trip to Pisa. |
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| We travelled from Tuscany to Rome by train via the west coast. This part is not as touristy as the coast closer to Pisa. We visited Parco regionale della Maremma that protects a patch of coastal maquis (thorny bushes and herbes), that is becoming an increasingly rare type of vegatation. It's home to deer, foxes, boar and purcupine to name a few. Just South of this park there is a peninsula connected with the mainland by 3 narrow landstrips of dunes. They together enclose 2 lagoons that are now a nature reserve, which is home to migratory birds like waders and bee-eaters (my first encounter with these beautiful creatures. There are also plenty of beaches. |
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| Lucca is a nice small town surrounded by an impressive protective medievalwall. It's much less touristy than its neighbours Pisa and Florence. Several of its churches are especially worthwhile seeing. Their white facades with rows of columns, that all have a unique decoration pattern, are strinkingly beautiful. Lucca can easily be visited as a daytrip from Florence or Pisa. |
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| During Roman times Rome had a harbour named Ostia, that was crucial for supplying Rome with all kinds of goods brought in from all over the mediterrenean. Currently, Ostia is a collection of excavated and partly restored ruins, that give you a nice insight into the organisation of the society of this roman harbour town. There are merchantsoffices, baths, houses and an amphitheatre. Several houses have beautiful mosaics that are still in good shape. Ostia can easily be visited from Rome as a daytrip. |
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| In the center of Tuscany lies an enchanting town, named Siena. It is spread over a couple of hills in the middle of the Chianti region and harbours beautiful squares, churches and art museums. Truly outstanding is the sloping half-moon shaped main square (Piazza del Campo) with its imposing palace. Another highlight is the gothic cathedral that overwhelms you by its elaborate decorations. We can highly recommend a ascend in one of the towers, for a magnificant view over Siena and the surrounding countryside. In terms of atmosphere we definately preferred Siena over Florence. It's a smaller more unform town made for pedestrians with mnay bars and restaurants. It just breathes history. |
© Bart Everts
| Physical activities: eg Walking / Rafting / swimming Nature: eg National Park / Reserve City / Cultural site |
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| When you appraoch San Gimignano, located in the center of the Chianti region, you're struck by its skyline: a collection of towers that resembles somewhat the center of a big metropolis. Once you're in the town you can appreciate that they are medieval towers that once represented the wealth of the Families that live in this town. It's a real tourist magnet, so don't expect to be on your own. We made a nice walk through the countryside to get some great views of the town. also try the Gelateria on the main square that sells wine-icecream... |
