Florence, Mazzanta, Pisa

On June 1st, we drove on the highway to Florence. Almost 2.5 hours later, with 2 short pee breaks (free and clean), we arrived at the selected parking lot. We took off our bicycles and rode along the river into Florence. From a distance, we could already see the magnificent buildings. Since Chris had been here a few years ago, he luckily knew where to go. First, we went to the famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. The structure is considered one of the oldest segmental arch bridges in the world. Just Google it, really interesting. We then went to the Uffizi Gallery. There were many artists selling their hand-painted pictures here. Many were also painting on site. There was also a museum here, where many people were waiting. There are apparently many paintings by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and others to admire here. We then continued to Piazza della Signoria, one of the most famous squares in Italy. Beautiful to look at. I don't know why this square is so famous :D Then we came to the huge cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral. Beautiful stones were used in its construction. Inaugurated by the Pope in 1436. It can accommodate 30,000 people. The fourth largest church in Europe, measuring 153m in length and 90m in width. The highest point is 114m, magnificent.

With the heat, we also got hungry and thirsty. Florence is not the cheapest city, so we paid 12€ for 2 panini... Good thing we didn't go to a restaurant :D The cappuccino for 4.50€ was naturally the highlight. The most expensive city on our trip.

When we arrived back at the parking lot with our bikes, an Austrian man had also arrived, and Chris talked to him for a while. I was pretty tired and just wanted some peace and quiet that evening ;)

The next morning, we drove to Mazzanta to a campsite, finally to shower and wash our hair. Unfortunately, the campsite was relatively large, which we didn't like so much. However, we saw that there were white beaches here. We cycled for about 30 minutes and found ourselves in paradise. White sand, light blue water, and pure sunshine. We spent the afternoon here. We had an ice cream for lunch and enjoyed this beauty. It should be mentioned that these white beaches are unfortunately not natural but are due to industrial waste.

On June 4th, we drove to Pisa to a secure parking lot specifically for motorhomes (12€ for the night). We took our bikes again and headed into the city. When we arrived, I was a little disappointed because I thought the leaning tower would be a bit bigger. But still funny to see. It was also funny how everyone made the same pose... A nice well-maintained area but, like everywhere else in Italy in the big cities, there were military personnel. For me, it was somewhat alarming because I had never seen that before. After we had seen one side of the river, we actually wanted to head back when we found the long mile where we strolled a bit. So, Pisa not only has a leaning tower but also many other great highlights. We also had lunch here and drank delicious Vermentino. What you won't find here: Tiramisu!