A couple of weeks ago my partner Ed and I went to celebrate my birthday in beautiful Tuscany. Both of us had been to Florence and Pisa before (in my case this was the fourth time), but seriously — can you ever get enough of the old villages, the gorgeous green hilly landscapes with cypress trees and vineyards, the amazing food (I can still recall the taste of the bistecca alla Fiorentina) and the finest wines? We couldn’t.
This time we also had Manarola, Siena, Montepulciano, Monteriggioni, Pienza and San Gimignano on our list. We spent seven days in this heavenly part of Italy. Thousands of tourists flock to Tuscany every year — I wanted to capture it differently.
Manarola
Manarola, one of the Cinque Terre, is simply breathtaking. We drove from our B&B in Pisa late morning, parked and walked down to the little colourful village. We could hear birds chirping and a stream. We found the path that took us opposite the village, set up our tripods, chose our lenses, and waited for the sun to set. This took hours — we passed the time making tourists happy and taking their photos with the village in the background. Finally when the sun set, we started shooting.
Pisa
What? No tower? I wanted to capture some other features from Pisa because I genuinely feel there’s so much more to it — like the extraordinary details in the columns.
Florence
I can never get enough of Florence! The Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti, Accademia, Uffizi, the street artists, the food, the shops — there are so many reasons to go back and never tire of it. My favourite is the Palazzo Pitti, where I feel like I’m taken back in time walking through the rooms the Medici used to live in, and strolling at the Giardino di Boboli outside. There’s an area where you can see all of Florence below you.
Siena
Siena is such a romantic place to stay! Ed and I stayed at an agriturismo not far from the city that made their own wine and produce — we had breakfast outside overlooking their vineyards and watched the sun set on the city. The city itself is full of heritage: the Piazza del Campo where the annual Palio di Siena is held, the details of the tower, the façade of the Duomo.
In all the little Tuscan villages like Montepulciano, Monteriggioni and Pienza, you will see gorgeous old buildings and shops selling leather clothing made by the finest craftsmen. But what you’ll definitely see and love about Tuscany — and with this I’ll conclude — are the unique landscapes.