Tag End of Volterra and on to Pisa

When we got back to our hotel after the tour of Volterra, I went out and took a few photos of the countryside at near-twilight.  Then in the morning I went out early (well, sort of early - for me) to take similar photographs in the post dawn light.

First, the evening landscape:

And in the opposite direction:

Then I turned my attention up to Volterra:

Here in the early morning the thermal vents that dot the region are obvious in the middle distance.

And even easier in this close-up:

A cluster of buildings down in the valley, and you can see the sun on the left side of the hills.

Volterra in the morning.

Then we took off for Pisa.  Tonight I'll show you only the Tower and and a few of the  Duomo  but save the Baptistery and part of the cemetery for later.  All are part of the Campo dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles).  

The Tower, a campanile or bell tower, was completed in the 14th century and was probably sinking already at that time.  The National Geographic had an article and on the Leaning Tower of Pisa (recently), and in it is a better description of the engineering that was done to stabilize the tower than I can describe here.  So I'll just say that it really does lean!

What I never noticed before are the decorations.  The pillars going around each level, yes, and even that they are different, but those squares on point I simply never saw.

None of us went up to the top of the tower.  We didn't because it's too open for D's comfort, DH and C had done it before, I didn't want to hold them up. After all when there is so much to see, one has to choose where to go and what to do.

This is the back of the Duomo (I like this one a lot).  You'll note similar pattern elements here.

Then just more patterns - all over the place.

The cathedral was undergoing renovation and there was scaffolding on this side which is why this lovely tympanum seems hidden.  Remember, this is at the back of the church.

And still more patterns here and there and all over.

Oh, and this is really great!  The bull (?) seems to be leaping out of the wall and down below him are patterns placed in the wall - just for fun?  They aren't easily seen from below.

Here is that same section on the right about half way up.  No ground to be seen.

More tomorrow and then time out for Thanksgiving Break.

Radda and Volterra

We visited two more ancient hill towns the same day we went to Monteriggioni, and I just hope I have them straight as far as my pictures go.  If I don't, I hope DH will straighten me out.

The second town was Radda, a walled city and the third was Volterra, the place to buy alabaster.  The photographs are primarily of things I found lovely (what a surprise!).

The next three belong in my "Shadows, Light, and Dark" collection.

Fascinating roof lines and towers are common in all the lovely towns we visited, but sometimes when they all come together in one photograph, well, it's just special. In this one there's the pattern on the underside of the roof on the right as it lead the eye to the tower peeking above another roof.  Then the two towers one in front of the other.  The one in front a lancet window, and, is that a door?  Slide down the angled roof to enjoy the stubby (by comparison, any way) tower on the left with its unique windows. Then pull back to appreciate how all are linked by the lower roofs.  So neat!

Then a tower with all types of textural interest.  Wonder why they included all the intriguingly regularly space empty spaces and stones or metal protuberances?  Was it, as I like to think, because it adds beauty to an otherwise rather plain facade?

It was also the time of year when the ivy changes to its fall red.

 A beautiful door creaks open . . .

Wonder what the history of this building is?

This may look like the view of Radda from a tower, but it isn't.  This is a model!

My current favorite laundry photograph!

Gorgeous, smooth red doors in such a rough wall!

A close-up view from the town; the trees that surround every building here makes me embarrassed to think of all our new developments where the builders flatten the land, scrape all the topsoil off, and remove every tree.  I've said that before, haven't I.  

Another looking straight up to enjoy the windows and those two holes?

Oh, those clouds!

 Don't you think this tower in Volterra should be in a novel set in medieval time with knights and fair ladies?

 Wish I knew what that flash of red is in this photo, but it makes the picture for me.

Terrific windows.

And this gate in Volterra?  It has great significance as the inhabitants of the town were ordered by the occupying Germans to raze it and use the stones as a barrier against the American/English forces.  Those inhabitants were mainly women, children, and elderly men who had to take this gate apart with their hands and brute strength.  The bronze plaque commemorates that event.

More pictures of the town and churches:

By now you may have noticed that our tour took place in late afternoon.  After it was over we stopped for supper and then scurried to get a cab to our hotel.

Included in our tour was this view of the Roman ruins (which were built on the top of even older Etruscan ruins).

Now this was a really speedy and possibly not very informative visit to two very interesting and lovely towns.  But we still have many places to see so I do have to hurry on.

Monteriggioni

Reluctantly we left Siena; there was so much more to see and experience.  That is a city to which we would cheerfully return!  And for E, I didn't have any photos of the wonderful outdoor eateries around the Piazza del Campo because we were in several of them enjoying sitting with a glass of wine while enjoying people watching.  Didn't take the opportunity to snap pictures; silly me.  And we left before it occurred to me to do so.

We made for Monteriggioni with DH as our intrepid driver (we were unbelievably lucky that he really enjoyed driving and the challenges of hairpin/switchback curves we encountered in our travels).  Monteriggioni is another of the marvelous medieval, walled hill towns in Tuscany.  Below are some pictures taken of and from the wall:

The center of town seen from the wall.

Two pictures of a church:

The bell in its tower:

An exit gate from Monteriggioni that captures a glimpse of the countryside which surrounds the town.  Note the plants growing in the cracks of the wall.

This is my favorite view from the wall - up to a point.  If I were to paint it, I would omit some of the buildings you can see, but I would definitely include the field in the foreground and the cluster of buildings in the mid-ground.

The colors of the limestone . . . I know I keep carrying on about it, but I can't help it.  The roses are a bonus.

A quilt in progress right now can be traced to this particular view of Monteriggioni's surrounding wall.  One of these day you will see the quilt in this blog - with this picture again.

My fearless D - at the ready to protect us!

A view of  Monteriggioni from the valley below the town.

Then there was Radda; that's for tomorrow.