Day 22 – Montopoli In Val D\’arno

Today we plan to visit Pisa and the Leaning Tower so it was only a short drive up into the city. After breakfast made the van ready and put the scooter back on the rack. More care this time fitting the wheels back on !!

We hoped to find a car / coach park around the tourist attraction but after driving around the area we found nothing so the plan was that we would park in the sosta for the day and move on tonight. We caught a bus outside the parking area after trying to buy a ticket but the machine was faulty so it gobbled our money , no ticket but a receipt instead. Off the bus and walked a short way to the tower and the grounds of the church etc.

We all had a go at the classic photo. The climb up the 293 stone staircase in the tower would have set us back €18 each. We declined based on cost and our inability to reach the top. Lunch was taken in a small cafe where we uploaded the photos we had taken and looked at the other places we should try and fit in. We visited the church which was magnificent with its vaulted ceiling and internal stone archways. Beautiful place and still used for services.

Later in the afternoon we took coffee at a roadside table before a return ride by taxi back to the van. We then drove the short distance to our overnight stop … a journey of about 45 minutes. The parking place already had approximately 10 vans here when we arrived.

Spent the evening in our van with Colin & Christine having some drinks and nibbles. Tomorrow we will complete the remainder of the journey to Florence and look to explore this old historic city.