Pisa - La Spezia - Riomaggiore

What a great day!
"Plan A" was taxi -train station - Pisa - Cinque Terre.
So what does the Intrepid traveller do when the buses and trains are on strike and you can't get a taxi because they are very busy picking up the short fall?

A gentle stroll past the canals to the port. A spectacular fort with moat. With Anna's experience in left hand drive cars picking up a rental car was pretty easy and she soon had us whizzing along dead straight roman roads towards Pisa. Luckily the rental agency had marked car parking on our map and were soon taking the obligatory tourist shots of Pisa.

A big surprise to many... the tower at Pisa is only a small part of the cathedral complex. This is the Cathedral itself. The leaning tower is actually the bell tower.

I am still making sure I get an ice cream every day. Today's was pretty spectacular.

This is the nearest I got to a bike. With Riccardo in the middle seat as passenger and Anna and I taking the pedals on each side of him we hurtled along over the cobbled streets, the wrong way up one way roads ( at least we could see oncoming traffic!) and well off the route marked on our map. Backwards was difficult... Riccardo did the flintstone trick.
Finally it was time for us to go up the tower... you have to book hours ahead of time.

The beautiful columns of Pisa's tower need regular cleaning and maintenance.

Views of the Pisa from the very crooked top of the tower. Hang on tight. You really do feel like you are going to slip over the edge.

Next after Pisa we decide to make the most of the rental car and zap up to Cinque Terre.
We are sweltering in 38-40 degree temperatures and yet this really is snow on the mountains
... I guess we are quite close to Switzerland.

Views down to La Spezia as we start the climb over the wickedly steep and winding road to Riomaggiore.

Anna is so capable and so confident, taking this incredible road in her stride. I tried very hard to enjoy the view although I did feel a little tooo close to it to really relax!!!

Riomaggiore

Riccardo is in this picture dabbling his toes at the end of the ramp.

Faded houses crumble haphazardly down the steep hillsides in to the sea as we walk the cliff edge path to the "beach"

A few metres of rounded stones at the foot of a precipice.

The water was blissfull!! Cool enough to cool down in and warm enough that even I went swimming... 6pm at night!