Impressions of Italy - Part 3
Well, here we go then, the final part of the Italian Trilogy! In case you missed the first two, you can see them on these links;
Some of these images, and others, are available on my Displate Gallery - please do have a wee look!
So far on this Italian journey, I have posted images from Verona, Venice, Fiesole, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Barberino Val D’Elsa, where I was staying in a lovely villa as part of a family gathering.
I do not intend to write much here and will largely let the images speak for themselves. I shall be including more images from Tuscany, revisiting locations already covered, but also adding in a couple of new places. Might throw in some food images as well, along with anything else I think might be appealing to anyone with an interest in this beautiful country.
So, let’s get on with the pics!
Siena. Which is largely the colour of Sienna. The colour takes its name from the city, but has a different spelling. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know, I don’t make these things happen. Some things in life, we just need to accept and move on. Be the bigger person.
Let’s throw in some useful info. OK then, A local pasta speciality is ‘pici’, a pasta similar to spaghetti but thicker and often served with pepper and cheese or with a tomato sauce. Siena is also famous for its desserts, such as ricciarelli, cookies made with almonds. Sadly, I have a picture of neither, which is most unprofessional. But then again, I’m not a professional, so that’s ok.
The ceiling of the dome in Siena Cathedral - you can see the exterior of the dome in the previous image.
A stained glass window, from the Cathedral
The skyline of San Gimignano, a hilltop town known as the “Town of Fine Towers”. There were originally over 70 towers, with 14 now remaining.
Wine for sale in San Gimignano. From Wikipedia, “A Chianti wine is any wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco. However, the fiasco is only used by a few makers of the wine as most Chianti is now bottled in more standard shaped wine bottles”.
Rooftops of San Gimignano
The town of Certaldo is effectively split in two, with a funicular railway connecting the lower level to the older part on the town, sitting on a hilltop. You can walk up, but where’s the fun in that?
A typical street in “old town” Certaldo
You can climb the church tower for glorious views over the town and surrounding countryside
Another view from the top of the tower.
A typical landscape view in Tuscany.
I’m not a fan of flying stinging things, but when danger rears it’s ugly head I’ll step up to the plate. Or bush.
Don’t mind if I do - especially after the previous close encounter…
Tuscany is well known for the quality of the local food, a reputation I am happy to endorse!
Sadly, i had to share…
Let’s throw in something healthy - a bowl of strawberries. There you go, lovely stuff!
The villa was clad in this gorgeous wisteria. The colours in the Tuscan sunlight were stunning.
When I have posted images from Siena on Facebook, there have been a few comments about the Piccolomini Library within the Cathedral. So here it is, the ceiling of that very library and it is breathtakingly beautiful. From visittuscany.com, “The Piccolomini Library was painted by the Perugian painter Pintoricchio (Bernardino di Betto) in 1502 for his patron, the cardinal of Siena, who wished to honour his uncle Pope Pius II who died in 1464. (The unfortunate cardinal Francesco eventually got promoted to the Papacy and died 10 days later!)”
On that note, I shall finish this blog and my series of images from Italy. I fully realise this has not been a comprehensive guide to all the wonders that Italy contains, it is merely a collection of some images I captured during my limited time in the country. Going through my collection brought back so many memories and it is certainly a location I would like to explore further. In addition to Tuscany, I would also love to visit the Lakes and the Amalfi coast in particular.
Perhaps, one day when travel becomes easier again, I shall be able to make that journey.
Now, if you wish to move on at this point, please do and no harm done. Because what comes next is, quite frankly, demeaning and beneath the dignity of us all. It is pure self promotion and nothing more. A list of links to my images and related products that are available online through different websites.
Scotland and the North Coast 500 A iBook collection of images and stories from my trip around Scotland. Also available in hardback, but the iBook edition way cheaper and more convenient for most people.
Jigsaws 1,000-piece jigsaws, various images. I have ordered a couple of these myself; they are good quality - you can turn your own images into jigsaws!
RedBubble Mugs, wall art, stickers and other bits and bobs
Zazzle Similar to RedBubble but with different images and products
Displate Prints on metal
Amazon recommendations My website, with links to recommended Amazon books
Well, that’s a wrap, folks. All done for this series from Italy. I hope you are all keeping safe and well. Until the next time…
Fatman xxx