I have fallen behind once again. A combination of limited access to internet and sparse access to energy after a day of traveling often results in a strait-to-bed situation at the end of the day. What it comes down to is that I am in Prague right now with the family, but in my blog I am still in Milan, just arriving in Lucca. I will have to speed things up a bit. Time for more pictures than words (as if anyone has ever complained about that).
The general movement of the Pavlik family centered around Lucca, Italy, as we made daily excursions to other towns/sites within range. Lucca was a gorgeous little city, with a wall completely surrounding it, a wall that has never had to be rebuilt and successfully made Lucca a place of peace throughout the Middle Ages. We stayed in Lucca for a total of 6 days. Here's a breakdown:
Day 1: Pisa
A few kilometers away from Lucca we took a wrong turn (courtesy of my copilot navigation) and ended up taking a quick trip to Pisa before continuing to Lucca.
 |
| That night we went to a local pizzaria. Great people and fantastic food...the Italian pizzas really are simply better |
Day 2: Firenze
Mackenzie has spent the last semester in Florence studying abroad. Therefore, we took advantage of this free familial tour guide and spent a whole day in Florence. There are countless sights and it is known by many as one of the birthplaces of the Renaissance.
 |
| Need I say? The David. |
 |
| Hanging out at Mackenzie's Gonzaga in Floence campus. Taking a quick power nap, by the looks of it |
 |
| Mackenzie made a fresco for one of her classes, using the wall and everything |
 |
| The Firenze duomo |
 |
| We went to a church called the Santa Croce, which boasts the tombs of Galileo (above) ... |
 |
....Michelangelo....
|
 |
.....and Dante.
|
 |
| The Ponte Vecchio |
 |
| Chilling after a long day of walking |
Day 3: Lucca Day
For our third day we hung around Lucca and explored the city. We found an awesome little café and hung out for awhile and then rented bikes to do a little self-tour.
 |
| Turns out Mackenzie and Nathaniel went for a run in the morning but didn't have a key and were locked out. I looked out the window when I woke up and thought they were just about to begin and so were stretching...they had already been out there for a half hour or so |
 |
| Crazy how cheap quality wine in Italy is... 1,92 Euros for a bottle! |
 |
| View from our window |
 |
| Mackenzie and Dad trying out the tadem |
 |
| Sometimes Mackenzie took advantage of her hidden back seat position... |
 |
Lucca duomo by night
|
Day 4: Hill Towns of Tuscany (San Gimignano & Voltera)
We took this day to drive up into Tuscany and explore its amazing hill towns. The scenes were breathtaking. Rolling hills of vineyards, olive trees, and Cyprus trees with villas scattered in among them. The first town, San Gimignano, is quite famous for its hill position and incredible number of towers. These towers used to serve as a symbol of the wealth of residents, so the bigger your tower, the more important you were. There are around 14 still standing today and there used to be closer to 74.
 |
| About 7km outside of San Gimignano. You can see the towers of the town to the far left |
 |
| Duomo of San Gimignano |
 |
| View from the wall |
 |
| You can get see the rolling hills in the distance |
 |
| View from the walls of Voltera. This city was owned by the Etruscans before being taken over by the Romans |
 |
| Just a classic Italy shot |
 |
| Mackenzie and Nathaniel during the tour...and the lady clothespinning the crap out of her rug |
 |
| Ancient Roman amphitheatre and baths |
This is not quite all of our Italian days...but it is all for now. The last section will include the two classic locations of Cinque Terre and Venezia! Ciao!
