Tuscany

On Tuesday, we drove from Innsbruck to Lucca, a drive that is definitely longer, and more stressful than I would prefer. We arrived at our hotel around 6:30, and immediately discovered one of the facts about Italians...they eat dinner late. So the restaurants don't open until 8pm, and we were famished. We got by on lollipops until dinner and then enjoyed a fabulous meal at the hotel ristaurante.

The next morning, Avery and I enjoyed a walk around the grounds of the Villa Volpe, and appreciated the views on the foggy, but comfortable morning. We then enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the hotel before venturing off to Pisa. We were anxious to get going because we had heard that shops and restaurants close down from 12:30 until 3:30.

In Pisa, we enjoyed the views of the tower, and surrounding buildings. The kids wanted to climb to the top, but unfortunately children under 8 are not allowed. So we just stayed outside and enjoyed the shopping and sunshine instead.

We then decided to drive west to see the beach and swim in the mediterranean. We drove west to Viareggio and found the only restaurant open at 2:00 in the afternoon....McDonalds. On a side note, it has been interesting to see how McDonalds changes in each country we're in. When you're doing a lot of driving, it's always a safe place for a bathroom break. Austria's McDonalds was really nice with fresh roses on the tables and a fancier menu.  Italy's McDonalds near the beach served beer! 

We spent an hour or so at the beach. The water wasn't too cold, so everyone (except me) went swimming. We then returned to our villa and the kids went swimming again, this time in the pool, while Sean and I enjoyed a glass of wine.

Finally, for dinner we decided to visit downtown Lucca, a very old city, enclosed by a wall. There we experienced what was becoming a familiar feeling in Tuscany...HUNGER. I never thought that finding a place to sit and have a meal would be so challenging. We eventually found a pizza place that would serve us at around 7:30 and then afterwards we found a lone gelato shop to get a little cone for our walk back to the car.

Lucca was a very interesting city, founded as a Roman Colony in 180 BC, and is enclosed by a wall, as seen in the picture above.  Lucca has narrow streets and buildings forming what feels like a labyrinth of high-end shops, cafes, and restaurants. We did get lost a few times, but were able to find our way back to the car, which is most important.