Crowding in cities

While the temperatures of the last few nights were well over 5°C and a self-sufficient overnight stay was possible, a cold wave now broke out across the whole of Italy. I decided to explore the larger cities because they usually rely on the use of campsites anyway and I was able to use electricity again.

Thanks to modern apps, I found the cheapest gas station in the area on the way to Pisa. After I had to explain to a friendly employee where and how to insert the tank nozzle into my Puch and what fuel I needed, he filled up my car. I was charged an extra 20 cents for this “service” – per liter. At least I now understood that many gas stations more or less obviously offered a more expensive service area and a self-refueling area.

The famous leaning tower with the cathedral and its museums is located very clearly in the Piazza del Duomo. It's really crooked and even though it was straightened up by 1.5° not too long ago, it's now walkable, but it still gives the impression that it's ready to fall over at any time. Of course he could have been completely straightened, but then who would want to see him? Maybe in the future I should photograph my subjects crookedly in order to increase the print runs.

Climbing the tower via the spiral staircase was funny. Depending on which side of the tower you were on, you had the impression that you were walking onto flat ground despite the stairs. The upper platform caused some climbers to feel dizzy due to its inclination.

The piazza is now besieged by mass tourism all year round. Countless people in the foreground kick against the tower, supporting it or catching it to create creative perspective images. The pushy street sellers of things that no one needs should not be missed either. One of them gave me a friendship bracelet and a bracelet made of real silver. I only got rid of this very chatty specimen by paying 5€ and gave him the plastic dummies back.

While Pisa can be ticked off in a day, Florence offers an inexhaustible wealth of art, culture and architecture. The capital of Tuscany is rightly considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With all this historical wealth, the church of Santa Maria del Fiore particularly stood out to me with its playful appearance.

But Florence is also dominated by year-round tourism and, despite all its beauty, I don't feel comfortable among the crowds in which you hardly dare set up a tripod. Following my cat gene, I spent a lot of time climbing the numerous domes and towers, which gave me a certain distance and more peace.

The realization of the city trips was that I didn't want to continue traveling like this. The cold nights will continue for at least another week across mainland Italy, and hiking in the less touristy natural areas seemed out of reach.

Vehicle component: The standout vehicle component of the article is the 230V installation including inverter and priority circuit for shore power connection. This means I always have 230V and can cook via induction. Unfortunately, the battery capacity is not enough for the fan heater.