Tuscany

As we make our way south the weather is really cooperating with us. Some days are even hitting 20C. Where we at now is the area of Tuscany referred to as the Garfagnana. Our destination was a place called Barga. The old town of Barga is surrounded by a fortification wall with 3 entrances and dates back before the year 1000. Too bad we didn’t film our drive up here. Where we will be staying for one week is within these walls in a stone building that was once a convent. One whole side of the villa is the actual fortification wall that is perhaps 75 or 85 feet high. The gentleman who owns this now has restored the building keeping much of the original character. It is strange staying in a building 1000 years old. The roads and streets inside the walls were certainly constructed for the necessity for defense in time of war. Apparently Barga was one of Mussolini’s places where he would come to relax and walk in the hills. We could not drive into our place; you need to walk everywhere (although everywhere is close). It is amazing seeing some of the older folks here walking up these steep inclines. Hopefully some of the photos will do some sort of justice to the area. One day we went into an open air market in a town north of Barga called Castelnuovo; it just seemed to go on and on. After seeing how the market is set up and taken down it makes you wonder why people rent mall space! A day trip took us out to Pisa. Peter said the tower doesn’t look that crooked. Although the city of Pisa has sort of gone the way of Niagara Falls inside the walls and the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) was well worth visiting. Our hosts Tony Wilton and his wife Carla invited us to their Villa last night and roasted chestnuts for us in their amazing fireplace in there kitchen. Peter and Natalie explored the place.