town scene and Juliet's balcony
town scene and Juliet's balcony
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We had side trips, some planned and some not, to other towns and sites. Our first was in Verona on our way to The Dolomites. And then leaving the Dolomites we stopped in Bolzano. In Bolzano we were treated to an outdoor concert, bought a Asiago pretzel from a street stand, checked out the Cathedral and visited Otzi the Ice Man at the Museum of Archaeology. Between Florence and the Cinque Terre, we stopped for a few hours in the sweet town of Lucca - enough time to hike the wall around the city and have a nice lunch.
After the Cinque Terre, we stopped in Pisa. I had been there before but hadn't gone inside the Duomo. So glad we did this time...as the photos attest, there was much to see inside. Something else learned in Pisa: if you order a foccacia sandwich, prepare to split it with someone; it's the size of a pizza!
Our last stop was totally unplanned, and came between Pisa and Siena. Our hotel in Siena was next door to the soccer stadium. Because it was a game day, the traffic was thick. We couldn't get into town at the appointed time. So Mary took us to the Florence American Cemetery. It's a memorial to more than 4,000 Americans who fought to free Italy from facism during WWII. We were honored to be asked to retire the American flag in the ceremony at the end of day. It was very moving for all of us.