#5 Monday, March 10 "Hello, Pinochio"

The cell phone makes its familiar noise as it wakes us up. We are leaving Florence today, headed for Sorrento. Most of the day will be spent on the bus riding through the Tuscan countryside. It is a welcomed rest from walking and gives our legs a break. After breakfast with one last sweet croissant, we struggle with our bags to get them loaded on the bus. They are a bit heavier with all the scarves we bought!

Our itinerary tells us we have a stop during the mid morning in a small town called San Gimignano, a town that is described in the guide book as "a the most magical of Tuscany's hill towns." The guide book could not have been more correct. This was one of the most delightful side stops we made on the entire trip.

As we ride during the morning, we are finally in the Tuscan countryside I imagine when I think of Italy, countryside that reminds me of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. There are rolling hills of vineyards and olive groves on both sides of the bus. It is a wonderful morning just to ride and not have a care in the world other than gazing out the window and not missing one beautiful site. One of those sites is the mimosa trees that are in full bloom during this time of year in Italy. They are not like our mimosa trees with the pink, wispy blooms. The bloom is cluster-like with bright yellow, tiny, round flowers. These trees dot the hillsides, and many of the Italians have them growing in pots around their homes. San Gimignano is nestled in the Tuscan hillside surround by these groves, vineyards and mimosa trees.

An olive grove on a hillside

The Tuscan hillside just outside San Gimignano.

We arrive at the town around 10:00 a.m. and have approximately 2 hours to visit and walk around. After a short walk up a fairly steep hill, we come upon the old city gate that is worn by the elements and overgrown with vines.

The old town gate of San Gimignano

Brief History Lesson: The Town of San Gimignano

During the 13th century San Gimignano was one of the major mercantile towns in Tuscany. The rich and powerful families of the town built towers as part of their homes that could be viewed for miles around the city. These towers represented their wealth and power in the area. When Florence conquered the area in the 14th century, most of the 76 towers were knocked down, and today only 14 towers remain. Also, San Gimignano is known in folklore and fairytale as the home of Pinocchio, the fictional character that first appeared in 1883, in The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carollo Coldoi. He was carved from a piece of pine by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village and was created as a wooden puppet that dreamed of becoming a real boy. The name "Pinocchio" is derived from the Italian words pino (pine tree), and occhio (eye), i.e. pine-eye. In the Tuscan dialect, pinocchio is the term used to refer to the pine nut.

Class dismissed.

We are in awe as we are taken back in time after we pass through the city gate. The streets are narrow and hilly. The aroma of pastries and strong coffee float out the shop doors, and there is an overcast dreariness that adds to the aura of the town. We stroll in and out of the shops and run upon one filled with Pinocchio souvenirs. Shirley and I buy the grand kids t-shirts and Pinocchios bouncing on springs to commemorate our visit. We continue to walk around the town and visit some of the sites and eventually purchase some of the pastries for the bus ride. Some how mine do not make it to the bus.

My traveling buddies on one of the narrow streets with some of the remaining towers in the background.

The well at the center of the old town

The Collegiata that has frescoes of New Testament scenes inside

One of the many niches in the sides of the buildings. At one time they held religious statues.

Some of the more modern homes on the outskirts of the old town

A mimosa in full bloom

After a 2 hour visit, we load the bus again for a 6 hour ride to Sorrento, located on the Bay of Naples. From what I understand the town is perched on a drop-off at the edge of the bay. I later find out that drop-off is an understatement.

About an hour and a half into our drive, we stop at the infamous Autogrill again. It is at this grill that I get my induction to the world of eating at an Autogrill, described in an earlier post. I order my prosciutto and mozzarella and tomato sandwich and settle in for the rest of the ride. As the day wains, we start to arrive on the coast of the Bay of Naples. The ride becomes quite precarious as we wind on a narrow road situated dangerously close to the edge of the drop-off, better known now as a cliff. As we arrive in Sorrento in a misty rain, the lights of the town reflect on the bay. It is a beautiful site, I think, because I am watching how close we are to the cliff on the right side of the bus.


We arrive at the Hotel Ambasciatori at 7:00 p.m. and pile off the bus to retrieve our luggage. The luggage is stored, and we head to the dining room for our evening dinner. MR explains that she splurged with this reservation and that the Hotel Ambasciatori is a 4-star hotel. It is nice. Pictures of the hotel follow.

Lobby area of the hotel

Area leading to the dining room

Our bathroom

If you are wondering why I took a picture of our bathroom, it is because I was excited that first, it is pretty and second, and more importantly, it has a tub in which I plan on relaxing in as soon as possible.


Now back to dinner. We claim our dinning places, and the waiter takes our orders. With our anti pasta we had several choices from which I chose a risotto with sausage and truffles (yum, yum, yum); our main course is a choice of a smoked fish or roasted pork (Can you guess what I chose?!); dessert was a choice of a cream cake or mixed fruit or gelato. I chose gelato. Dessert is when we sort of lose our composure. Shirley ordered the mixed fruit for her dessert, and that is what she got--a pear, a banana, and an apple. Not pealed, not sliced. Just plain pieces of fruit sitting on a plate. We have had such a long day that we are rather silly and thought this display of the fruit as a dessert was the funniest thing we had seen in a long time. Someone even took a picture of the fruit on the plate.

After our wonderful meal and our silliness settle, we head to our room on the second floor. We throw back the shutters and stand on our balcony and look out at the bay. The darkness hides the bay so we really have no idea what our view is really like. We decide who is getting in the tub first, and it happens to be me. I retire to the bath and soak for a while. Afterward, I get ready for our trip to the Island of Capri the next day. I set the ol' reliable cell phone, and fall into my bed for a deep sleep.