Touring & International Montecatini Terme

... on the "uphill" side as ballast.
This gives the tower a slight 'banana" shape.
An attempt was made in 1836 to dig out the foundation, yet lean worsened.
It was closed in 1990 to visitors as collapse was thought imminent. Tower then nearly 18'-6" off.
Stabilization work was begun in 2000 which brought the tower back toward plum by 11".
Re-opened to tourists in 2001 in groups of 30, attended by a guide only.

... 8230; and couldn’t find a park… jagged a disabled spot and thought we could always rip mick’s leg off if we got questioned.. Made a dash about 500metres up the road to see the leaning tower… it really is leaning!!… then quickly back to ensure the car was not towed away… back on the road heading north to Porotvenere..

... Pistoria.. Tried to find a shop open to buy beer (not stubbies) as cans are huge…and tissues for runny nose etc… seemed like an easy task but it is a very old town.. Very narrow streets.. A Sunday and nothing open… but we did see a bit of the town… some bits more than once as we went round and round and round… anyway found that there was a shop open in next town Monsummano… got supplies and then tried to find the B& ...

Cinque Terre is a place I have heard a lot about, but wasn't planning to see on this trip. There aren’t a lot of places to stay and I hadn’t done my research on which of the five towns would be the best to stay in. But thanks to some advice and a gentle nudge from some friends in Florence, I decided to spend two nights there and do "the hike". It was a good decision.

I stayed in a town called ...

... room with free breakfast (eggs!) and dinner (pasta or pizza, naturally) made for some serious socialization and some interesting folks.

We confirmed the best gelato in the world claim made by the Trinity Gelato shop... twice. Mascarpone and Chocolate being the ultimate flavours, we saw the David by Michealangelo and found it a unique experience as compared to everything we had seen up to that point. There was a fascinating photo exhibit set up temporarily at the ...

... steps. Then you start the trail which takes you along wild olive trees. I thought some picnickers had left their olive pits in the dirt as I stopped to take a break but then I realized the pits were everywhere... they were coming from the trees above me! Cool! Halfway through the hike lies a little wine, caffe, and snack bar (with the same darn paninis, little rolls, stale croissants and foccacia sandwiches everyone has EVERYWHERE here in Italy ...

... were infact very well preserved. There is an amphitheatre that is almost totally preserved. It could sit 2000 people and is still used for certain events today. As well as this there are remains of roman baths, saunas, temples, and alters. I got Fiona to lie on an alter as an offering but when she struck a sultry pose the gods rejected her (ah, well - looks like I'm stuck with her). We caught the bus back down to Firenze and walked to the church ...

... you can see on our website. The only bad thing about Pisa is those annoying people selling ****** fake handbags and watches and these tacky trickets. There are signs up in both Pisa and Florence telling tourists not to by this stuff as it is actually Illegal but they sellers never go away and they almost shove the watches in your face. Anyway Florence was nice, would have been better if the weather was nicer and the Bed Bugs hadn't followed us. Next stop is Cinque Terre.

... Florence (from where I write) is incredibly hot. Every time I come here (this would be the second) it is hot. I am beginning to believe it is some sort of magical land of sunshine. I haven't broken anything here, and the lady we are staying with currently does not have a doorbell at all. I hope this has been useful, all you need to know is that Italy is marvelous and we are most definitely alive. ctothej _______________________________________ I cannot ...

... A very memorable meal indeed. Spending so much time in Florence we were able to do a lot. Here are some things: We walked around the duomo and baptistry. The duomo is very large and impressive on the outside (we haven't yet gone inside). There is an open market nearby with a bronze pig that you can rub for good luck. We also walked in the piazza in front of the Uffizi with the replica of Michangelo's David and some impressive statues. My favorite was ...