Day 5
Montecatini, Italy
Wednesday, 15.6.2011
Today we got to rise and shine at a decent time. :) Everyone was up and out at right time and bags down and ready to go, just like clockwork. This was our first time to have a hotel with free WI Fi. This was first time to post on Facebook. (The whole Facebook thing didn't quite work like I wanted it to but we did get a few things out. What one forgets is that all of that takes time and time is something that is short all the time on these journeys.)
We arrived last night a little late so we allowed everyone to stay up a little later, maybe midnight even. The hotel was old but quaint, actually quite lovely. Voltera, which is where we stayed last night is a spot to go back to. It is a beautiful city with beautiful sights, scenery, etc.
Breakfast was at the hotel; Cold cereal, cold meats, cheese, etc. Actually quite good, lots of different sorts of bread and of course coffee of all sorts and milk as well. There is usually juice of some sort also. After this there is a walking tour of the city.
(We left our bags in the lobby during our walking tour. I believe we were to get them the bus first but there was an issue with making that happen so will do it when we get back. Will just load and go.)
An English speaking guide will lead you through the narrow streets in the city of Volterra. Discover spots highlighted in the book “New Moon”, like Vicolo Mazzoni or the Etruscan Arch, the gate from where Bella and Edward left the city of the Volturi.
The guide talked about the history of the city. Hopefully some of it is on the video. The guide said that Volterra is a medieval town in Tuscany. It has an ancient Etruscan history and has become somewhat of a cult destination among teenagers and people in their early 20's. Probably due to the movie series, “New Moon”; rising Twilight... Some of the movie, one of them, maybe the original or maybe some of all of them were shot in this city.
We walked down some of the areas that they filmed in and I believe we saw some names of people in the movies written down on the stone or brick. After the tour our guide took us to the Alabaster Factory.
According to the speaker, who I believe owned the company, told us that alabaster is another name for two minerals, gypsum and calcite. Gypsum is what is used today. It is mined underground and taken from limestone, it is sort of embedded in the limestone somehow. We didn't really see that. It is found in many parts of Europe but the Alabaster trade is really centered in Italy, most of it in Florence. There is a difference in quality of alabaster, there seems to be quite a few different types.
In the factory we saw a gentleman carving figures and things using a wheel to spin and a tool to make the shape. Fascinating. (Should be on video). After this we went into the store where we could purchase items. Everyone also should have received a booklet about it.
Servcemarks: The guided orientation is on foot, so please make sure that students wear comfortable shoes.
At Voterra, which offers spectacular views of the surrounding Tuscan hills, Mr. Fiumi will welcome you into his Alabaster Factory. Learn everything about the old tradition of Alabaster arts and the many uses of this beautiful stone.
Servicemarks: Mr. Piero Fiumi, the owner himself, will guide you through his Alabaster factory!
The suspense is not over: a thrilling surprise is waiting for you in the cellars of Palazzo Viti. You will be escorted underground like Bella, Edward and Alice with the Volturi.
After our tour of the Alabaster company we walked to the restaurant where we were going to eat lunch, not far, according to Luigi. The restaurant put on a little show for us before we ate. We were divided up into two groups, one waited outside and the other followed the owner into the restaurant. He proceeded to take us down into the basement , following these winding stairs. There were only candles burning and individuals with Robes on, (3). These three individuals were walking around. The gate at the top was locked, you could hear the chains being pulled through the gate and then paddle locked shut, or so it sounded. I will have to admit, I was bit claustrophobic at that moment.
The individuals then pulled one delegate, in our group, it happened to be Dakota Fontese and laid them on a table in the middle of the room. It was supposed to be, like a scene from the movie, Twilight Saga, sort of a Vampire sort of experience. At the very end they had all the candles out, pitch black. I was glad to be climbing the stairs to the next level, which was underground as well, so we were probably two levels down when we were in the cellar. (Of course this was done for both groups so it took a while, the group outside had some time to debrief).
Lunch was outstanding. It was a pasta dish that was almost like strogenhoff. Then a great salad, it seems like there was something else, and of course desert. Best meal yet. After this we had a three-hour bus ride. We were on our way to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Servicemarks: Please remind the students to take a sweatshirt with them as it might get cold in the cellars.
1:00 PM
Enjoy your lunch in the underground area where the Volturi lived. You will also meet local inhabitants to talk about Twilight, New Moon and your preferred characters. (Didn't happen)
Continue on your journey to Pisa!
We are on the way to Pisa. When we arrived we had to take a shuttle to the tower. There were lots of panhandlers around, everywhere it seemed, sunglasses, purses, selling hats, umbrellas, trinkets, etc. Would come right up to you, a bit bothersome, we had some of these around the coliseum.
Of course as usual we needed to hit a bathroom before we continued on. This happened to be one you needed to pay to use, worth every penny. :)
Once on the shuttle and at the Leaning Tower of Pisa the streets are lined, as far as you can see with vendors selling their wares. We walk by many of these as we head for the main gate, this is just outside. After going through the gate we could see that there were just as many vendor inside as out, of course it was packed with people, what a tourist trap. Still it is something one needs to see while in this area, just happens to be a place everyone wants to see also.
Now is the time for pictures and a little exploring on own and maybe a bit of shopping. We did a bit of shopping, Gelato Ice Cream, went inside a building called the Baptismal building, maybe baptistery is the correct word. You can take steps to the top of the building, look outside and of course down on the inside. We were able to get quite a few gifts for home here.
After we had everyone back at the meeting point, and of course no one was late, GREAT JOB everyone, there was maybe a half hour bus ride. Back through all the vendors, hot, hot, hot, very, very hot today. Lots of water needed, probably a bit short on this today.
Be inspired by some of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in the Italian city of Pisa. You will see on of the most iconic buildings in Europe; the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
7:30 PM
Dinner Time: Savor a delicious dinner at the Hotel Villa delle Rose!
Overnight will be at the Hotel Villa delle Rose.
It is always challenging to get rooms assigned as we prepare to go to the next hotel. My dream is to switch up so people room with as many different ambassadors as possible and have less overlap, doesn't always happen, not ever found a great way to do that. It was nice having as many males because we could switch them up better, and of course double rooms vs triple rooms always adds a challenge as well.
It is quite a sight when we are distributing room keys, etc. This was a very nice hotel. Our rooms are a bit spread out, lots of places for our kids to sit and relax, etc. Dinner was first on the agenda once suitcases to rooms. The meals here were great, forgot to write down what we had.
WI FI was 3 Euro and hour and 5 E for 2 hours. Our delegates could use the phone in the lobby with phone card and some used their own phones. Everyone had about two hours to hang; some just sat around and talked, some sat by the pool, to late to swim unfortunately, very relaxing evening, wish more could have been like that. 11:00 bed check.
Tomorrow we will wake up at 7:00, Room check at 7:30 and breakfast at 8:15, this is a one night hotel. Once again our luggage was in the lobby area while we had breakfast, I believe.
Breakfast was outstanding; cold meat, cereal, cheese, watermelon, scrambled eggs,...juice..
Now on our way to our next destination.
Pisa
In the Middle Ages, Pisa was an important Mediterranean trade center, and accumulated vast mercantile wealth. This is reflected in the splendid buildings of the era – particularly the “Duomo”, one of the finest Romanesque buildings in Tuscany, the circular Baptistery, which contains Nicola Pisano's magnificent marble pulpit, and the “Campanille”, more famously known as the Leaning Tower. All of these are gathered together in the “Campo dei Miracoli” alongside the “Camposanto” and the National Museum which contains a wealth of Pisan and Florentine art from the 12th and 17th centuries.
Duomo – Cathedral of Florence
The Duomo, begun in 1294, was crowned in the 15th century with a splendid dome by Brunelleschi – one of the most famous Renaissance masterpieces, and the largest of its time. It is well worth climbing to the top so see the construction technique as well as the view. The rest of the exterior is beautifully decorated in colored marble. The cathedrals' interior exhibits works by Luca della Robbia, Paolo Uccello, and Andrea Castagno; as well as, first-class stained glass in the drum of the dome, exquisitely carved sacristy cupboards, and excavations of the earlier churches on this site.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower is one of the most famous buildings in Italy. The beautiful circular Romanesque bell tower leans 5.4 meters (17.6 inches). Construction began in 1173. Subsidence of soil caused it to start inclining when it was 10 meters high. The tower was completed in the late 14th century, and a complicated operation is under way to stabilize the structure. The interior, with a spiral staircase and a good view,has been closed since 1990. The tower's apparent flouting of laws of gravity has attracted many visitors over the centuries including the Pisan scientist Galileo Galilee (1564 – 1642), who climbed to the top to conduct his famous experiments on the velocity of falling objects.
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