June 3 – Livorno / Volterra / San Gimignano

Today we arrived in the port city of Livorno Italy, the entrance way to Tuscany, Pisa and Florence.  We have Pisa and Florence before,  so we decided to take a tour of the Tuscan countryside and visit the villages of  Volterra and San Gimignano.

In the port there was a ferry that goes to Sardina.  It was very distinctive because it had the Looney Tunes characters painted on the side of the boat.

Our route into Tuscany took us through a mainly agricultural area, where different types of grain seemed to be their main crop. As we ascended into the more mountainous area this changed and farms were replaced with vineyards.

Volterra was at the top of a large hill. It took us several minutes to ascend to the top along a narrow and winding route. Volterra is an ancient town that was settled by the Etrusticans, before the Roman Empire.  It was then conquered by the Romans, who built a massive theatre outside of the city walls.

Volterra formed its own style of democracy in the 13^th century.  The bishop, who was universal disliked was killed by the people of the village and when the next bishop proved to  be no better, they built their town hall so that it hide the cathedral.  It has had a long history of tax revolts, where taxes were withheld when the government did not truly represent the wishes of the people.  Our guide told us that this region has always voted for left wing parties in Italian elections.  He said that Communist party is still popular, but it should not be compared to the Soviet version of communism.  The way he described it, it sounded like a Steven Lewis version of the NDP in Canada.

Town square in Volterra

As you would expect the roads in the town are very narrow and the height of the buildings makes it feel as though you are walking through a canyon.

Volterra is also known for its alabaster based art work.  Many of the shops have locally designed and produced statues and pottery made from this regionally found material, which is a combination of gypsum and calcite.  Fortunately we were warned that some of the shops sell items that are not local and are massed produced in China.  We were told that if the shop had multiple copies of the same design but in different sizes, it was most likely imported.

The Roman theatre was not discovered until about 50 years ago.  It seems that over the ages the site of the theatre had become the town’s garbage dump.

Roman theatre in Volterra

After visiting Volterra, we went to a winery for lunch.  The winery is called Tenuta Torciano.  The owner, Luggi, was an extremely engaging gentleman who entertained and educated us in the art of wine appreciation.  We got to taste quite a few of his wines and we ended buying a case of different wines that will be shipped from his warehouse in Chicago.  His estate also produced olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  He was selling his balsamic vinegar for $70 and as you would expect there were no buyers.

Then we proceeded to San Gimignano.  This hilltop town is visible for many miles because of its prominent towers that dominate the skyline.  This is a gorgeous medieval village with narrow lanes, stone buildings and many shops. The historical centre of San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I went down some back alleyways and took some photos of the villager's back yards.  I wondered how I would feel if a bus load of Italian tourists descended on our home and started taking pictures of our patio.  I probably would think they were nuts and just leave them alone.

Village Square in San Gimignano

The roads back to the ship were little country lanes that twisted and turned every few seconds.  The bus driver must have been a former formula driver in a previous life because he sped down these lanes at top speed and had to slam on the brakes every time he met on coming traffic.  The ride was worth the price of the tour alone.

After dinner we went to the theatre where we were introduced to the ship’s officers.  This was followed by a salute to Broadway musicals featuring the ship's musical ensemble.  This was OK but I doubt it will make our top ten highlight lists.