Towers over Tuscany

Our trip to Italy was not ALL ABOUT FOOD...we also climbed a few towers! I tell you, keeping up with Sandra Eddy is not easy!
Our first tower was in Lucca- Torre Guinigi- once the home of an influential Lucchese family. This battlemented tower house is topped by living oak trees whose roots have grown into the room below the roof. We climbed the 144 ft. tower for the best views over the city....and the next day the tower was closed for renovations.



"Tim, are you down there Mate?"






Our driver, Rickardo, drove us to Siena in thick fog trying to describe the views we could not see of the incredible countryside to our "Siena newbies". After our delightful lunch in the Campo we decided to take the climb. This is the first time we have bought the complete Duoma package ticket including the Baptistery, the Cripta, and the Museo Dell 'Opera Del Duoma. In the Museum there is a narrow passage and steep stairway at the end of the top floor which lead us to a high lookout point. Thankfully the fog cleared and we had a glorious view of the city and the countryside below.



"Hey Tim, we can see OZ from up here!"



Our last day was a rainy one but we had already purchased tickets to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Work on this bell tower started in 1173 and by the time three of the eight floors were in place there was already a tilt. We climbed the 294 steps to the top, 177 ft. It was like one of those carnival rides where your equilibrium does weird things to your balance. It is not surprising that Galileo is said to have conducted his experiments on the force of gravity from this tower. Tim stayed below with all of our "stuff" and took pictures... well he took pictures of people waving from the top!