Down for breakfast at 7:30. Ham, buns, boiled eggs, lots of pastry and coffee Americano. At 8:10 we left the hotel to locate our tour bus which was supposed to be across the street and 50 meters down. Some buses were there but none of the drivers knew which one was ours. Finally, at 8:25 a lady approached us and asked to see our vouchers. She checked against a list she was carrying and sent us across the street to the Walk-About bus which was waiting for us. Big relief to be on the right tour and the right bus.

  
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Our tour for the day began with a drive through the city of Florence. Our guide Stephano gave an ongoing commentary as to what we were passing and a bit of history about Florence. Then after an 80 minute drive through the very hilly Tuscan countryside, we arrived in Siena, a city in central Italy’s Tuscany region. Siena is distinguished by its medieval brick buildings. The fan-shaped central square, Piazza del Campo, is the site of the Palazzo Pubblico, the Gothic town hall, and Torre del Mangia, a slender 14th-century tower with sweeping views from its distinctive white crown.

      
      
      
      
      
      
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The Duomo (Cathedral) in Siena lies in a piazza above the Piazza del Campo, a great Gothic building filled with treasures by Pisano, Donatello and Michelangelo as well as frescoes by Pinturicchio. The exterior of the cathedral is impressive. Built between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure, the cathedral is in the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting dome and bell tower. The bell tower has six bells, the oldest one was cast in 1149. The exterior and interiors are decorated in white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, black and white being the symbolic colors of Siena and linked to black and white horses of the city's founders.

      
      
      

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Leaving Siena at 11:20 we made the 40 minute drive to our lunch stop. The Fattoria Poggio Alloro is a 150 acre organic farm and vineyard in the heart of Tuscany run by the Fiorini family. They raise cattle, chickens, pigs and have grape vines, olive groves, a huge variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as grain. Lunch consisted a salad, a pasta ragu and 4 different wines; new white, chianti, red and sweet (with biscotti for dessert) all grown and made at the farm.

      
      
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After lunch we wound through the countryside to a hill town in Tuscany southwest of Florence, the walled medieval town of San Gimignano. Arriving at 1:45 we spent 1 ½ hours touring on foot. Encircled by 13th-century walls, its old town centers on Piazza della Cisterna, a triangular square lined with medieval houses. It has a skyline of medieval towers, including the stone Torre Grossa. The Duomo di San Gimignano is a 12th-century church with frescoes by Ghirlandaio in its Santa Fina Chapel. Best gelato in the world!

      
      
      
  
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On the road again at 3:20 for Pisa, 1 hour 25 minute drive. Arriving at the Hotel Galilei parking lot, we were immediately transferred to the hotel’s spola (shuttle) train.

    
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We wound through the city with a running commentary until we reached the city's Piazza del Duomo which houses the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistry and the Campo Santo (the monumental cemetery). While the bell tower of the cathedral, known as "the leaning Tower of Pisa", is the most famous image of the city, it is one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Piazza del Duomo, also known, since the 20th century, as Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles). The medieval complex includes the above-mentioned four sacred buildings, the hospital and a few palaces. The entire complex is maintained by the Opera (fabrica ecclesiae) della Primaziale Pisana, an old non-profit foundation that has operated since the building of the Cathedral in 1063. The entire area is contained within medieval walls.

      
      
      
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We spent an hour walking the grounds. Then, back onto the train and a narrated tour all the way back to the hotel where we again boarded our bus.

On to the bus again at 6 pm for the 1 ½ hour drive back to Florence. Arrived at the pickup point at 7:30, a half block from our hotel. For supper we had wine, bread and cheese LeVerne & Carole picked up in Siena and San Gimignano. Ate and recapped the day in the breakfast room, then off to bed at 9 pm.