Pisa 2026 - Day 1

Prologue

May 2026:

The agriturismo owner Giulio is extremely accommodating and insisted on explaining the following points to me during a call before the reservation, and he even sent a video of the access road:

• It is an agriturismo – not a hotel.
• It is a paved path – not a highway.
• It is nature with many animals – no spiders 😊

Thank goodness, we are very happy to come!

June 2026:

I didn't even try to update the GPS because I didn't want to waste time like I did the previous year. Whatever! The old 69er computer will rely on old landmarks and the worn paths and find the destination safely like a scout.

“It is becoming increasingly likely that I will actually undertake the journey that has occupied my imagination with a certain exclusivity for several days now.”

This is a quote from the book “The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro, which I found very enjoyable in anticipation of the upcoming vacation, even though it is actually about a very different journey.

Sunday / Domenica, June 28, 2026 – Day 1

4 AM wake-up: Austria against Algeria at the Football World Cup with a fortunate yet historic 3:3. Historic, definitely the live TV commentary by Daniel Warmuth – Are you kidding me?!

At 7:30 AM, we drive together to the polling place to cast our votes for the Graz municipal council election and also check in at the Auer breakfast. But then finally at 08:15 AM we depart south (149,740 km). Lisa drives to Villach at the BP gas station, but the 2 Carinthians at the counter let us continue straight away, and only in Fratta Nord do we enjoy the coffee and croissant. It's funny that even here you can order on the display. Actually, not funny, but sad, because soon we humans won't talk to each other at all.

There is generally little traffic (because it’s Sunday) and it is sunny and hot outside, which also weighs on the yawning muscles inside. A Red Bull from the cooler helps after 20 minutes; by then, we are already in Bologna: 39.5 °C.

Over the Apennines, despite the new tunnel route (alternative), it is like always with the Tifosi: faster, faster, let's go. In Firenze Nord, we depart too early, but whatever, we cut through a bit and head back toward Pistoia/Lucca, where we have reached the high score in Prato: 40 °C.

Until we arrive at the Agriturismo La Grotta in San Giuliano Terme, Lisa finishes her book completely, and it won’t be the last one. The road up here is really narrow, with many tight curves and the 4 hairpin bends at the end, quite surprising, and when no one comes towards us, it's lovely to drive.

Giulio explains everything to us, including that he has no olive oil for sale due to the poor harvest, but it is the best olive oil ever. He has red wine, but only a little, and we have to taste it first. Now I'm treating myself to a beer by the pool and then into the warm lake water pool. Lisa brought a tick (la zecca) from home and immediately gets rid of it professionally.

We freshen up, which helps little in the heat but still, and drive to a small village for dinner: Il Circolino in Avane. Next door, village life is happening on the football field or a street over at a big family celebration.

At the next table, there are 2 women (work colleagues from Hartberg or a Swabian) and we chat about Tuscany, specifically Lucca, where they definitely want to go tomorrow. When I tally it up, this is my 10th time in Tuscany.

“Un caffè e un grappa, per favore! Grazie!”

At 10 PM, we still check in on Pisa and let ourselves be bitten by wild insects and go to bed around 11.