Cruisin' the hills

Leaving the coast, heading inland.

These aquaducts are pretty common . . .

and perfect for framing a photo!

This one was on a side road in a little town we drove through.

Bridge to nowhere.

This is a pomegranate tree in someone's backyard!

I guess I should get out more, but I had never seen a pomegranate tree.

Tuscan hills - after driving these hilly, winding roads - looking and snapping photos, I was a bit carsick and had to take a break.

So we stopped on the side of this road for a rest.  Vineyards and olive groves as far as you can see.

Exactly what we set out to see - Tuscany countryside.

It was grape harvest time, but some of the vines were still full with grapes.

I just love this picture with the olive trees and the Tuscan villa painted the typical yellow.

One of many sunflower fields we saw - some already harvested or like this one, ready for harvest.

No plans

We could see this white beach on Google Maps . . .

so we decided to check it out.

It was just as beautiful as we thought it would be.

Further back on the beach, the sand was like this.

Couldn't help noting that even the Italians know a good beer.

Jim said he was going to carve a small David, but then we decided to leave this little rock behind for another future sculptor.

Spiagge Bianche (White Beach) di Rosignano Solvay, Livorno, Italy

Digression

As we drove to no place in particular . . .

olive trees were everywhere.  That whole hillside is full of just olive trees seemingly growing wild like pine trees!

It was nearing sunset and the sun was so nice on these huge olive trees.

This rainbow stayed right in front of us for several miles.

The pine trees in this area are self-pruning . . . 

growing like this naturally to form a little umbrella at the top.

This beautiful setting was an unexpected find along our path.

This is Punta Pacchiano on the west coast in the province of Livorno.

The water was very rough here.

Wind, water or both?

Punta Pacchiano, Livorno, Italy

No destination

The next morning we drove over to the town of Lucca, Italy in the southern part of Tuscany.

Every corner seemed to hold a photo op.

Quaint and quiet . . .

and not too crowded.

Narrow streets typical of Italy.

Although it wasn't always sunny . . .

it must have been laundry day :)

A beautiful, quiet corner.  It is deserted in our picture, but we waited a minute or two or three or more for a tourist, map in hand, to move on. Ha.

Some businesses were closed because it was siesta time.  There are no set times for this, but most Italians close up shop for about 2 hours in the mid-afternoon.  It can be any time from Noon to 4 pm - you never know. 

The famous Guinigi Tower, donated to the city by the Guinigi family, a prominent family of Lucca for hundreds of years.

Me and Winslow seem to have the whole place to ourselves.

Of course there are several beautiful Roman Catholic chiese (churches) in Lucca.  This is San Michele in Foro.

Taking a break on the chiesa steps.

Green shutters of every shade are common.

This is the ancient wall that completely surrounds the town of Lucca.

It's almost hard to tell it's a wall because it's so wide.

Wide enough to walk on and drive if it were allowed!

Lucca, Italy

No schedule

We decided to drive out to the west coast to check out the beaches and the water.

Europeans definitely have a "vacation season" regardless of beach or mountain and the beach is nearly deserted this time of year.  This "swingset" fascinated us :)

This is Viareggio, Italy.  It lies on the shores of the Ligurian Sea which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. 

It wasn't as beautiful as some beaches we've seen  . . .

maybe because the sand is grey and black and I guess I'm partial to white sand.

The water was fairly calm with very small waves.

Since it was mostly cloudy, it didn't reflect the sun so the water didn't seem clean.

But it was actually crystal clear.

Winslow - after a run on the beach.  Not as young as he used to be.  Me too.

This was about the only thing growing in this sandy area and the snails really liked it!

We enjoyed Villa Cheli so much we decided to stay another night.  This is the view of the hills of Tuscany from our hotel.

Viareggio, Italy