Destination: Italy

Photos: More Tuscan Hill Towns: Montepulciano and Pienza

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Photo Gallery

Hill Towns of Tuscany: San Gimignano and Volterra

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [244]

IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN TRAVELING IN TUSCANY, you won’t find a better guidebook than Rick Steve’s ITALY. And if you’ve forgotten to buy a copy, you can download tips, itineraries and even walking tours. If you are especially lucky you ... Read more >

Photos: Hill Towns: San Gimignano and Volterra

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Photo Gallery

Suddenly Sunny Siena

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [218]

HAVING A RENTAL CAR GIVES US a lot of freedom. But we also need a place to park, free parking if possible, which can make finding lodging difficult. In Siena, where cars have been banned since 1966, parking is verboten so we’re staying outside ... Read more >

Photos: Siena

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Photo Gallery

Lucca—City of 100 Churches

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [265]

WE DIDN’T COUNT 'EM, OF COURSE, but Lucca is said to be the “City of 100 Churches.” As a matter of fact, on our visit ten years ago we barely noticed them. In truth, the only mention I gave Lucca in my “vagabonds” journal ... Read more >

Photos: Lucca

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Photo Gallery

Cinque Terre—Riomaggiore, Manarola (and Bonassola)

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [172]

THE VIA DELL’ AMORE—LOVERS’ LANE—is the most famous and romantic stretch of the Cinque Terre coastline, connecting the picturesque villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola. Since the trail remains closed there we skipped the Cinque ... Read more >

Cinque Terre—Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso

Sat, 9 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [147]

WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT Cinque Terre is back in business. Well almost. The hiking trail that runs from town to town is open only from Corniglia to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare, the two more difficult sections. It won’t be ... Read more >

Cinque Terre—Taking Time to Smell the Garlic

Fri, 8 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [194]

RENTAL CAR PRICES IN EUROPE ARE DOUBLE what we remember from a decade ago. Europcar still had the best deal—€37/day including the Pisa-Bologna drop off charge. The Fiat 500 is probably the smallest rental we’ve ever had but with the ... Read more >

Photos: Cinque Terre

Fri, 8 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Photo Gallery

More Treasures of Pisa

Thu, 7 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [162]

WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE WAITED to visit the Sinopie Museum until we had seen the original frescoes at the Campo Santo Cemetery. Offically Camposanto Monumentale,   Campo Santo was originally constructed to house the graves that were scattered ... Read more >

Still Leaning After All These Years

Tue, 5 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [181]

EVEN THE THUNDER, LIGHTENING AND RAIN drumming on the skylight didn’t keep us from a good sleep. After breakfast we walked to the Field of Miracles where the famous Tower of Pisa still leans. As any freshman engineering student could tell you, ... Read more >

Photos: Pisa

Mon, 4 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Photo Gallery

We've Got A Ticket To Ride

Mon, 4 Oct 2021 | By graynomadsusa | Views [177]

PISA IS ONLY AN HOUR BY TRAIN from Florence so most visitors make it a day trip as we did ten years ago. Now that we have more time, more money and more patience we decided to stay a while.              Worth ... Read more >