Pisa and Lucca

This past weekend some friends and I went to the local towns of Pisa and Lucca for an easy day trip. We wanted to stay fairly local so that we could continue to stay around Florence and familiarize ourselves with the city. We took Tren Italia to Pisa (about an hour away, depending on the number of stops) and found ourselves at the world-renowned leaning tower. Pisa is a small town with not much to do except visit La Piazza del Duomo. I took a couple pictures in front of the tower and then climbed to the top. From the top there was a crystal clear view of the city. I could see all the way to the Italian Alps to the north and Florence to the south. From Pisa we jumped on another train and went to Lucca. Lucca is another small Tuscan town that is completely surrounded by a huge wall that was used as protection and safety during battles. In Lucca we enjoyed some gelato and espresso before we left for Florence.

Some friends and I also decided to do some of the touristy things in Florence before the REAL tourist season hits. First we toured the Duomo and climbed to the top to see the magnificent painting inside the dome, and then climbed some more to see the most beautiful view of Florence. After the exhausting hike up and down the stars we attended and English mass in the chapel. It was a really great experience. The next day we went to the Museo de Accademia to see Michelangelo’s, David. It was truly a sight to see; much larger than I had ever imagined. Believe it or not we saw Hillary Swank in the back corner of the museum getting a history lesson for a tour guide (I’m guessing she was researching for a movie), but it was fun to see.

So far so good, and I haven’t even finished my second week here. This weekend I am going with 8 other friends to Rome. We are staying in the 5th nicest hostel in the world called The Yellow. I’m really excited to finally see the Vatican City and the Spanish steps. I’ll let you know how it goes!