Driving in the countryside is like a therapy against stress for me, especially on perfect summer days like today.

Even when we go somewhere on holiday, driving around is a big part of our vacation. It is not about getting from point a to point b: it’s our way of enjoying beautiful landscapes, stopping along the road to enjoy the views and take pictures, and taking it slow. The drive, for us, is often not just a necessary part of a day-trip: it’s the whole point of a day-trip. We like road trips very much.

I am always a bit surprised when I hear our guests worry about driving in Italy or on winding country roads: that’s the best part of a vacation in Tuscany! Our recommendation is always to take it slow, stop when you feel you need to, and ignore those behind you: do your own thing as you feel comfortable, the world will adjust to your rhythm!

Country lanes are generally a good place for slow drives because there is very little traffic. This morning, on my slow drive through our corner of Tuscany, I only met two other cars.

I left Civitella Marittima and drove towards Grosseto along the E78-SS223. I turned left on a road that I really like, called La Cerreta, which connects the main highway E78 to the road to Monte Amiata (SP64). It’s a road that cuts through the woods and the countryside.

I got on the main road to Monte Amiata and almost immediately turned left passing under an old railway bridge to get onto the Strada Provinciale di Petriolo and followed towards Monte Antico.

The road to Monte Antico is a beautiful drive. It takes you through the prettiest landscapes of Tuscany, with old bridges, fields dotted with hay bales, olive groves, vineyards and sunflower fields. Monte Antico itself is a little hamlet home to less than 100 people, but they can be very proud of their local restaurant, La Taverna di Campagna. They serve both traditional food and excellent pizza, and the owners are the proud producers of one of the best Montecucco D.O.C. wines in the area, Begnardi.

To many, Monte Antico is probably just a group of houses, but I find it fascinating, with its yellow church, and the little train station, which is one of the main stops on the old Grosseto-Siena  railway line. The steam engine train called Treno Natura always stops here. It is one of those places which still bear traces of the old times, when lots of people lived here or in the many farmhouses around this group of houses.

From Monte Antico a picture perfect cypress tree-lined road climbs up to the top of a hill, where the ancient Castle of Monte Antico is located. The castle looks like a fortress from the outside, and it is now a beautiful hotel. It has a lovely courtyard with a well, and breathtaking views over the valley of the river Ombrone.

Driving up to the castle you can enjoy very beautiful views over the hills where our village, Civitella Marittima, is located, and over the surrounding vineyards, nestled among the cypress trees. It’s really pretty. Coming closer to the castle, the old church of San Tommaso, now a theatre, welcomes you to this fabulous corner of the inland hills of the Maremma.

That’s right. Most people don’t have this image of the Maremma in their head. They believe it’s a flat area by the coast. Not at all. The inland areas are quintessentially Tuscan, with rolling hills, vineyards giving way to olive groves, giving way to woods and fields. It’s Tuscany at its best.

I really like the short stretch of road that from the Castle of Monte Antico takes you back to the old Leopoldina road. The road is one of my favourite places near here. I wrote a post for the Velvet Escape Travel Blog about it. The views area amazing!

I drove as far as Fattoria Nuova Pievanella, one of the most beautiful countryside villas in Tuscany. It’s a holiday farm with rooms and apartments, a tennis court, swimming pool, gym, paths through their grounds and a restaurant. But most importantly it is in a stunning location. It’s the perfect romantic retreat in the Tuscan countryside.

I turned around and drove back down to Monte Antico, along the road that runs below the castle. There are a few spots where one can stop and enjoy the view over the hills towards Civitella. The fields have just been harvested and the hay bales are still there: so pretty!

I got back to the old Strada di Petriolo, also known as the “ancient salt road”, because it was the old road that led from Siena to the sea and ensured the salt supply to the city. There are plenty of spots to stop here, and I did stop quite a bit, and took some really cool photos of some hay bales on the top of a hill!

The road is wider than the other one so it’s an easier drive. It is also busier but I still only met two other cars. Most of the fields have been transformed into vineyards over the last few years, since the creation of the Montecucco DOC wine region.It’s very beautiful, especially the part which overlooks the Castle of Casenovole and Monte Amiata.

I then turned left to take the road that goes down to the ancient Ardengheschi Abbey and finally leads back to the village passing by the old village fountains.

A perfect way to spend a Sunday morning in Tuscany!

Here is a photogallery with 62 photos I took this morning. To see them in a larger size, please click on the box with an arrow symbol in the bottom right corner of the gallery. Thank you. They are also available on Flickr.

This itinerary (avoiding the highway) is also perfect for expert cyclists and for horseback rides and walkers.

I am still working on the itinerary for the Canadian crew which is supposed to come film lavender fields and olive groves on Sunday. I have to say that this has been a really interesting experience because I have had a chance to look at the area of Tuscany where we live with different eyes and I have found out that… as a matter of fact… there are a few farms actually growing and processing lavender!

I have always told our guests that lavender is used in gardens but not as a proper cultivation as in Provence, but looking for places to film I have discovered that over the last few years several farmers have started cultivating lavender.

Today I have visited another of these farms, and beside the stunning location on the top of a hill overlooking on one side the plains of the Maremma down to the coast and on the other the Val d’Orcia hills and the Monte Amiata, this is what I have learnt:

• lavender is a plant that doesn’t need much work, except for keeping the fields clean. It doesn’t need to be watered, quite the opposite: it dies if the soil is too humid.
• it is in bloom in early to mid July.
• it is used to make many products such as lavender extract, body creams, detergents and soaps. It is also used dried as a perfume for wardrobes and underwear.
• bees love it, so it’s the ideal setting for beehives where an excellent honey is produced (I was given a jar!)
• apparently my dog loves it too… she must have sniffed every single bush!!!
• there are different types of lavender, that differ in the shape of the leaves and flowers but also in their colour (more or less purple/bluish) and smell.
• in the Maremma there is a variety of wild lavender that grows spontaneously: people who decide to grow lavender look for the presence of spontaneous plants before planting the “domestic” variety to see if the terrain is potentially good.
• selling lavender and lavender products in Italy is very difficult. Apparently the larger factories who make lavender-based products don’t buy flowers from the local producers. Only 10% of what they need comes from Italian lavender farms and the rest is imported. However since the transformation is carried out in Italy, they still have the right to say that their products are made in Italy…

If you want to discover how lavender is grown and processed in Tuscany, contact us! We can arrange half day and full day visits to several lavender farms!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a Canadian TV crew that is coming to Tuscany to film a documentary.  They are interested in lavender and olive groves in our area. I was thrilled that they had contacted me because I see this as a great opportunity to give our area a bit of visibility and to show that Tuscany is not synonymous with the area of Siena and Florence.

So I’ve been working with them and with some local farms to define the schedule of their brief visit. It takes a lot of work to find the best way to fit their schedule (they only have 4 hours) and choose what to include and what to exclude. When a destination is your home, you want for people to see everything and possibly appreciate it as much as you do, but of course, I do understand that this is not possible.

My task is to plan a visit to a lavender farm, to an olive oil producer’s farm and to arrange for activities that can exemplify what the locals do with lavender and how olive oil is produced. It is a cool thing, but it is also a great responsibility because I am not sure what sort of expectations they come with…

Olive groves are not a problem: the Upper Maremma is famous for its olive oil and in my village area in particular, olive groves are the main source of income. The local olive press is renowned and appreciated and there are several excellent producers which make and sell excellent quality olive oil.

Lavender, though, for some reason is something that people expect to find everywhere in Tuscany, but the way lavender is used here is nothing like what you would find in Provence, in France. People use it in their gardens, as a decorative plant, but very few farms grow lavender extensively these days. For this reason, when our guests ask us where they can find a lavender farm to visit we always try to explain that there are a few local producers but they will not see the large fields they might have imagined. Who knows what these Canadian documentarists expect to find…

Anyway, today we went to talk with the local producers to see the fields and decide what we will do. They were very nice and helpful. The fields will be in blossom when the Canadians arrive so they should be very pretty. They will be shown how lavender body cream, oil, soap and other products are made. These farmers still use the same instruments that people used many years ago, when lavender was used to scent laundry and for personal hygiene. That’s because lavender is not in high demand and for this reason the products are still handcrafted for the most part.

I guess this is the main reason to visit a lavender farm in Tuscany: a perfect opportunity to see how small, local farms process lavender in the same way as our ancestors did centuries ago. And of course, because it is the perfect excuse to spend a few hours in the beautiful countryside!

Today it was a perfect summer day. It was hot but not unpleasant: it was sunny and there was a cool breeze covering the olive trees in a thin yellow dust. We spent the whole morning in the countryside painting the fences and watching our dogs chase lizards. I did something that I rarely have a chance to do at the weekend: I sat down on one of the lounge chairs under the tall oak trees in the garden and read a few pages of a novel by Victoria Hislop, The Return: a bit of time for me alone… well… for me, the birds, a hen happily announcing the arrival of her new egg, a cow that didn’t sound too happy about her life, a few bugs and my dog.

Then all of a sudden the sky beyond the hilltop where Civitella Marittima, our village, sits went dark. Thunder could be heard in the distance. It didn’t take long for the storm to arrive from Monte Amiata. The countryside suddenly went silent. No cheerful birds, no grumpy cows, no happy hens. Just lowering clouds quickly gathering over the village and over our house, and the rumble of thunder. The rain came “wrapped up” in a whirlwind, with more thunder and lightning. The storm didn’t last more than 20 minutes and left us with a brighter, dazzling sun. All of a sudden the air was cool and clear; a thin, smoke-like steam covered the roads; a distinctive smell of wet straw and earth filled the air.

It was sunset already and while the western sky glimmered over the vineyard colouring  the vines in an intense pink, to the east, a beautiful red full moon was raising in a bright blue sky over the silver olive trees.

Just another perfect summer day in the Maremma.

(Please, click on the symbol on the bottom right-hand corner to see the photos full-screen. If you don’t have Flash, you can see the photos here)

Today was the first Sunday in a long time that we didn’t spend the whole day fixing Casina di Rosa. We are finally done with the renovations and we can finally get back to our lives! We took advantage of this “freedom” by going on a daytrip to San Galgano Abbey with Marcel’s family. A friend who manages a lovely wine bar in the woods right by the monastery of Montesiepi, Salendo Wine Bar, had invited us to an art exhibit which closed today and we kept postponing the visit because we were too busy. Anyway, today we packed the family in two cars and left from the beautiful village of Pari around noon, in time for a perfect lunch under the tall trees in the garden of Salendo. It was very peaceful (well… at least until we got out of the car with the four kids we had with us!), and the shade and the breeze there made for a nice change from the hot and humid weather we left behind.

Salendo mostly serves typical products of local producers and local wines to go with the dishes they offer. They serve hot dishes too but their specialties are crostoni with different toppings (I had an amazing crostone with cheese and pears), selections of cured meats, samples of cheeses and different types of honey and jam that go well with them, and sandwiches. The wild boar bresaola on my nephew Alessandro’s plate looked delicious, I’ll tell you that! They match every dish with the perfect wine, mostly by minor but excellent producers.

We took it easy and enjoyed the meal in the peaceful shade while the kids were fighting over the use of a hammock and then we went to see the installation in the garden under the pine trees. The setting is very pretty, with the Monastery of Montesiepi in the background.

The exhibit was called “Fra Cielo e Terra” (literally, “between the sky and the earth”) and it consisted of 10 iron sculptures representing 10 warriors protecting San Galgano Abbey. The iron sculptures by the Scarì brothers served as support for the works of two other artists: the beautiful glass works of art by Laura Pesce and Felice Nittolo’s  mosaics.

The event was managed by Krene, a design agency. It was supposed to be the preview for a larger exhibit to be installed inside the Abbey of San Galgano in 2011, but apparently the people in charge of the events hosted there don’t think the place is suitable for such an event, which, believe me, is quite silly and their loss.

We then took a walk to the Monastery of Montesiepi, which is just few steps away from Salendo. This hermitage is not very well-known, and yet it houses one of the milestones of European mythology: a sword in the stone. The sword is said to have belonged to San Galgano, who drove it into the rock when he gave up his sinful life to become a hermit. The monastery of Montesiepi was built at the end of the 12th century as a mausoleum for the saint, who is buried in the church. The church has a very peculiar shape, it is built as a rotunda and historians hypothesize that it was inspired by Castel Sant’Angelo, the Pantheon in Rome or even an Etruscan tomb as the many ones visible in Volterra, the town that once controlled this area. The church was enlarged in the 14th century with the construction of a chapel with frescoes by the Sienese painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti. This chapel houses the hands of two evil men who, the legend says, were sent by the devil to temp the saint, and who were attacked by wolves that came out of the woods to protect Galgano.

Over the centuries the sword in the stone and its legend have fascinated visitors from around the world. The many resemblances to the tales of the Arthurian cycle are striking. In his book The Enigma of San Galgano, the writer Mario Moiraghi claims that the story of Excalibur originated in Tuscany and not in the Celtic fringes of Britain or in France as many believe and that it was added to the legend of King Arthur later on. Moiraghi supports his hypothesis with scientific tests which date the sword embedded in the rock in an abbey in Tuscany to the year 1180, years before the first attested literary reference to the sword in the Arthurian Cycle. The author also stresses how the inquiry which led to the canonisation of Sir Galgano contains a series of facts identical to the legend of Sir Percival, the finder of the Holy Grail. You can read more about his hypothesis on the website of Casa Gigliola, a vacation rental near San Galgano Abbey and in this article on the BBC New website.

We then descended to the most famous monument of this complex: the roofless Abbey of San Galgano. The ruins of this Gothic cathedral in the Tuscan countryside never cease to amaze me. It is so beautiful! The abbey houses the Opera Festival in the summer: believe me, there are few places that can make for such an impressive setting for operas and concerts. Here is the program of the events for this season of the Opera Festival in San Galgano. This year, it includes Mozart’s Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute, Vivaldi’s Le Stagioni, and Carmina Burana.

A great daytrip, especially if you are travelling with kids or if you like walking. There is a path that leads from the abbey to the monastery and a longer path that leads to the nearby village of Monticiano.

Yesterday, after a long day of work, we went to a new bar that has just opened right on the river bank in Pisa: Argini e Margini. To get to the bar you need to go down to a small sandy beach by the river Arno. The walk provides a very unusual perspective on the buildings of the Lungarno and the atmosphere is really cool. It is a “different Pisa”, in a way.

Argini e Margini consists of two small stalls with tables – a bar and a small booth where they fry seafood (squid and shrimp) -  and a floating seafood restaurant.

You can sit wherever you find a spot: we sat next to two perfect strangers, so it might be a good way to make new friends!

They serve aperitivo: you buy a drink and you can help yourself at the fingerfood buffet. Truth be told, there is not much to eat compared to other places in the city, mostly dipping sauces and bread, but the fried-food stall sells really good fried seafood!

The bar serves wine, beer and cocktails. Actually, I found out that my allergy pills and mojitos don’t go well together… and so I “had to” eat two servings of fried fish and vegetables to avoid getting too drunk! What a sacrifice!!!

The place is not expensive, and the crowd is very laid-back. Yesterday there was an exhibition (Firehouse Rock Poster Expo) and music. At the weekend they have live jazz concerts too. I think I have found my favourite spot in Pisa to hang out in the warm summer evenings!

And I would like to stress once again that Pisa at night is really beautiful, and fun. There are so many new locales, pubs, events and exhibitions! Spending only a few hours in the city and then leaving to go to Florence or elsewhere is “a sin“!

Tuscany owes its name to the ancient Etruscan people, also known as Tusci, who lived and flourished here until they were assimilated into the Roman territories during the Roman Republic. But before then, the Etruscans had a powerful, thriving civilization and there is a considerable amount of evidence that early Rome was dominated by them until the Romans sacked Veii in 396 BC.

This people never ceases to fascinate because of its mysterious history, language and customs. The origins of the Etruscans are lost in prehistory: some believe that they are indigenous, others believe that they came from the Greek area, given the cultural similarities. Their fortune derived from metal mining and trading, especially copper and iron that they exported all over the Mediterranean sea. Knowledge of the Etruscan language is still far from complete; it is however believed to be have been a non-Indoeuropean language.

If you grow up in Tuscany, you hear about this mysterious people all the time. And there are many tangible signs of their presence in this area that they left behind. There are several famous archaeological sites around Civitella Marittima, the village where I grew up and where our Casina di Rosa vacation rental is located. Here are just a few Etruscan archaeological sites in our area of Tuscany:

• Roselle
• Massa Marittima and Lake Accesa
• Pitigliano and its region, with the wonderful Vie Cave
• Sovana and Sorano
• Vetulonia
• Populonia and Baratti
• Murlo
• Sarteano and Chiusi
• Volterra (Video)
• Arezzo and Cortona

In September 2007, a tomb was discovered near our village as well, and more precisely, near the beautiful castle of Casenovole. The discovery was made by some local people with a passion for history and archaeology, who have since founded an association called Odysseus. Tomba del Tasso, as it has been called, was far from a minor discovery, quite the opposite: it was one of the most important discoveries of recent years. It dates back to the 1st-3rd century B.C. and contained the remains of 13 people, cruets and bronze objects. The archaeologists found 3 cinerary urns and 10 ossuaries. The discovery was celebrated with a beautiful exhibit at the Castle of Casenovole, which, being private property, is normally closed to the public.

Last year, in October, a new tomb was discovered in the same area, larger and older than the previous one. This tomb, called Tomba dello Scarabeo, after the beautiful ring with a scarab beetle found therein, contained the remains of many people, which provides archaeologists and historians with valuable information about the culture and history of the Etruscans.

Yesterday, the finds were officially presented with a meeting organized at the beautiful Hotel Terme di Petriolo by the association in collaboration with the Universities of Pisa, Siena and Florence. The objects found were perfectly preserved. The ring is beautiful!

What we hope is that the local council will find the money to build a small museum and that the tombs will become part of an archaeological park or at least a local archaeological itinerary, considering that, not long ago, another area was excavated at Pietratonda. The area is perfect for walks (see the itinerary I wrote for Velvet Escape as my Tuscany tip and my post on Slow Living Day in Tuscany).

A last note: the people who work to bring back to life the ancient past of our beautiful area and who organize interesting events of international relevance (check this article on the National Geographic news), work for free. Donations are therefore very welcome: http://www.odysseus2007.it

If you want to know more about the Etruscan civilization, you might be interested in this video:

This week we spent the weekend in Pisa because two friends from Milan came visit us. It was a perfect excuse to enjoy the city almost like visitors!

On Friday, we took a walk in the city center with them and then we had a great aperitivo at the wine bar and restaurant Modus Bibendi, which I adore (but go no later than 7 pm or it can get very crowded), and then we had dinner at our favourite restaurant in Pisa, Osteria di Culegna. We really had a good time!

On Saturday, we met with them around 6pm to go for a walk at Le Piagge. It was the first time the sun was out in almost a week, and the place was busy with people exercising. Also, there was a band who was practicing for a concert. This week Le Piagge will host the Fiera di Sant’Ubaldo (12-16 May). Then we stopped for an aperitivo at Bar Salvini, which is right on the river bank and has a nice panoramic terrace. The bar is nice, and the prices are reasonable, but the crowd and the music are sometimes somewhat “questionable”. We had a good time, but I’m no longer sure I could recommend the place beyond any doubt.

Today, as the sun was shining we decided to go for a quick day trip. First, we went to the Basilica of San Piero a Grado. Crazy as it seems now that I have been, I have to confess that I had never been before. This really old and beautiful church is only 5km away from Pisa, and it is really well worth a visit.

The church is surrounded by a nice park with a very well-kept lawn, with benches and paths. It was founded in the 4th century in the spot where once the river Arno flowed into the sea and where, legend says, St. Peter disembarked when he arrived in Italy. The Basilica is built on some older Roman buildings, the remains of which can be seen in the excavations inside the church. Traces of the older building are also visible in the columns’ capitals which are clearly of Roman origin.

The structure is really unique. Instead of having a facade on the west side as most churches do, the Basilica of San Piero a Grado has two apses, and the main portal is on one side. This of course is the result of the many reworkings of the original structure. At present the old bell tower is being rebuilt after it collapsed in 1944.

The interior is also interesting. There are three aisles and a trussed roof. The central nave has frescoes and a ciborium dating back to the late Gothic era. We loved the fact that the church has an internet connection and a kiosk with a computer with information about the past and the present life of the Basilica.

I highly recommend a visit!

If you can read Italian, you should take a look at the official Basilica di San Piero a Grado website. Otherwise, here is more about the church in English.

After visiting the church we headed towards Marina di Pisa. Or at least I thought so… I wanted to go to Marina di Pisa via the road that runs along the river Arno and where you can see the “retoni“, wooden buildings built on piles on the river with large nets used to fish the river. However, we ended up taking the wrong turn and we drove to the coast on a really narrow country lane running through fields and pine tree woods: really beautiful! The fields are now full of red poppies and yellow rape in bloom!

The road took us to Tirrenia instead and we kept driving along the coast until we got to the beginning of the stunning Costa degli Etruschi. We drove along the Aurelia (SS1) and stopped at one of the seafood restaurants built on the sheer cliffs south of Livorno, Sassoscritto. We got a table on the panoramic terrace and had an amazing meal. It was not cheap (we spent 50 euros per person) but certainly well worth the money.

After lunch, we went to Quercianella, a nearby village made up of villas immersed in the Mediterranean maquis. I had never actually stopped in the village. We often pass by it while going back to Civitella, but we never stop. I was surprised to see some bizarre buildings, such as a “fake” castle built at the beginning of the 20th century in Neo-Gothic style.

A really nice daytrip!

Below, a slide show of some photos we took today. Click on the bottom right hand corner symbol to see the photos in full size (800 x 600). The photos of the coast were taken from the terrace of the restaurant.

It’s been over 10 days already since my last post! Time flies. A couple of weeks ago, we went for a nice walk in the green heart of Pisa. Most people think that Italian cities are not green enough: Pisa is actually very green.

I have already written about the gardens of Pisa in the past,including about the Botanic Garden, but Viale delle Piagge deserves a post of its own.

Le Piagge is a tree-lined boulevard running along the river just outside the center of the city. The boulevard has buildings on one side, and a lovely park on the other. It is very popular among the locals, who go there to exercise, take their dogs out or just to take a romantic walk hand in hand with their loved one.

Viale delle Piagge is a 2km long trail, beginning at Ponte della Vittoria and ending at Ponte delle Bocchette.

There is a bar at the entrance of the park, called Bar Salvini, which also has a nice terrace by the river. Just a few steps from the bar, there is a children’s playground.

People with dogs normally use the smaller trail closer to the river, while people jogging or walking use the “proper” park trail.

I like walking from Ponte della Vittoria to the beautiful Church of San Michele degli Scalzi. The bell tower is the second most leaning tower in the city. Pretty impressive.

An old industrial complex which was built by the church has recently been renovated and houses now a bar and rooms for events. I love the clash of the modern building with the “quarter monogram” standing in the middle of the square and the Romanesque architecture of the old church which dates back to 1025 AD.

In the square where the church opens there are still ruins from old 19th century buildings bombed during Worl War 2.

Le Piagge makes for a nice off-the-beaten-path walk in Pisa, and a perfect way to discover Pisa away from the crowds of the main sites.

Something to remember: in mid May, Le Piagge hosts a really nice fair called Fiera di Sant’Ubaldo. Lots of stalls selling flowers, pets, local products and good street food.

Below, you find a slide show of some of the photos we took the other day. To see them in their original size, just click on the icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the slide show.

Via San Martino is my favourite street in Pisa. It’s definitely outside the major tourist tracks in the city but the locals love it very much. I spent my university years living in an apartment in Piazza La Pera, and I have a soft spot for this area.

Besides the uninterrupted succession of medieval and renaissance buildings, and the imposing eponymous church, Via San Martino houses a number of good restaurants, wine bars, pubs, and locals.

Some restaurants are quite fancy, and make for the perfect spot for a romantic dinner: l’Artilafo and l’Etichetta. There is a restaurant I love, which is Numero 11.  It is a “ristorante conviviale”, which means that you can sit anywhere at one of the long tables wherever you find a spot, next to whomever happens to be there. There are no waiters: you need to order what you want at the counter, choosing from the menu written on a blackboard or among the ingredients on display. One of the most popular ethnic restaurants in the city is also here: Al-Madina, offering the specialties of middle eastern cuisine.

Via San Martino opens up by the church of San Martino. Two very popular pubs (an Irish and a Scottish pub) open onto this square, which is quite busy in the evening. Just a few steps away from the square, in two of the many alleys that from Via San Martino reach the Lungarno, there are two interesting circoli, private clubs that serve food and drink as well as organize events, courses and exhibitions for their members: Leningrad Cafè and Agorà. Another interesting place in Via San Martino is the cineclub “Arsenale“.

Via San Martino also houses a small market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and many smaller shops (groceries, bakeries, art shops, a vinyl record store, etc.) which have survived the opening of the large supermarkets.

Here is a “photo tour” of Via San Martino: don’t miss it if you visit Pisa!!

Entering Via San Martino from Corso Italia: