Gallimaufry#67

 Day 5—Pisa, Pierotucci Leather Factory and Padua

Porta Nuova

Souvenir stalls manned by foreigners lined the street leading to the Square of Miracles.

The iconic tower

The tilt of the tower was reduced from more than 5° to 3.5°. When we were there, only 45 visitors were allowed into the tower at a time. 

Cathedrale di Pisa

Battistero di San Giovanni

No, we didn't do the cheesy forced perspective classic every tourist poses for, but we had a good laugh watching the others take photos of their buddies in weird positions—pushing, kicking, licking, or holding up the leaning tower! Everyone was jostling to try and get a shot lined up, only to have another tourist jump in and ruin the shot! 🤣

Our group photo

Fallen Angel

With his left arm and both legs severed, a missing head and broken wings, the sad angel lies half-buried in the lush, green lawn.

What a fascinating piece of art! One couldn't help but wonder about the cause of his fate.

Final glimpse of the tower and checking it off my bucket list

Pierotucci leather factory 

The day ended with a dinner in Padua.

The pumpkin lasagna was sensational!

Gallimaufry#66

 Day 4 — Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre, which means Five Lands, comprises the five small coastal villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso located in the Italian region of Liguria. They are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 View from Manarola

Delightful little hamlets perch on hills and inlets cascading down to the sea.

Layers of riotously pastel-colored houses cling to Cinque Terre's dramatic cliffs. It’s almost like a rainbow exploded and rained down on this part of Italy!

A nativity scene on top of a hill, steep, narrow stairways that lead to curious doors, bizarre sculptures, charming eateries, zig-zagging alleys, etc —  so many hidden gems to discover!

Meandering through the maze of crooked, cobbled alleys lined with colorful houses and quaint hole-in-the-wall shops was fun!

We had lunch in this niche called "Lunch Box" in Vernazza.

It may not look fancy, but the food, especially the creamy Pesto Gnocchi was super delizioso!

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi

Italy, the land of breads

One can never have too many gelati!

Gallimaufry#65

 Day 3 — Florence

View of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo

Ponte Vecchio

Sculpture of David 

Piazza della Signoria

Perseus with the head of Medusa

Neptune

Hercules and Cacus

David

Piazza del Duomo Firenze

Our group photo — all 37 of us from Malaysia!

Baptistry of San Giovanni

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

The intricacy of the stonework and mosaics of the buildings is astounding!

Giotto's Bell Tower

Dome fresco of the Florence Cathedral

Tomb of Antipope John XXIII in the Florence Baptistry

Piazza della Repubblica

The Christmas lights in Florence are bellissimo!

Palazzo Vecchio

II Porcellino

Legend has it that good fortune follows those who rub the boar’s snout. Some tourists have even gone so far as to place a coin in its jaws, in hopes that the water would wash the coin from the boar’s mouth into the grate below. Doing so would mean that all your wishes would come true and you would get to visit Florence again.

 

When in Florence, eat a Florentine Steak!

Last glimpse of Florence from our bus