Villa La Petraia

 

 

Villa La Petreaia

When you have extra time in Florence, visiting Villa La Petraia would be a good way to spend it. This villa is one of the series of rural building complexes in Tuscany which were owned by members of Medici Family between the 15th and 17th century. The Medici family was Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence during the first half of 15th century. 

 

The villas they owned were the country palaces of the family, that also served as recreational resort for the leisure and pleasure of the family, and also as the centre of the agricutular activities on the surrounding estate. The Medici Villas were added to UNESCO  World Heritage List in 2013 so Villa La  Petraia is now owned by the Italian government.

 

From the bus station in Florence, we took a bus with direction to Caruso bus stop and made a walk 1 km to the villa. The entrance fee to visit the villa and the garden is for free but to visit the rooms inside the villa, visitors must be accompanied by a guide. The guided tours are available every hour and are conducted in English and Italian.

The villa has 2 levels, the upper level was more the residential area for the King Victor Emmanuel, while the lower level was more of the halls.

 

 

The walls in the main hall are painted and the walls in the upper level are more covered with tapestry.

 

In the upper level you will find the bedroom, bourdouir, dining room, study room, and playing room. 

 

 

 

 

Among the paintings collections you see in the villa, there are also some collections of Chinese paintings. The furnitures inside  Villa La Petraia were collected from other Medici Villas.

Villa La Petraia has two gardens : Italian garden in the front and English garden in the back. 

 

The Italian Garden of the villa

 

Spring walk in Pisa

On our fourth day in Florence, we made a day trip to Pisa. We took a morning train from Santa Maria Novella train station which departed at 08:28 and arrived an hour later in Pisa. 

Stazione Pisa Centrale

Our plan was to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) and its surrounding, as well as a bit of the old town. To reach the Leaning Tower area, we had to walk through the old town and cross the Arno river. 

Arno river in the morning

Since we were not in a rush, we could enjoy a little bit of the old town.

Piazza dei Cavalieri

A little bit different from the old town which was not so crowded, the Piazza dei Miracoli (the Cathedral Square where the tower is located) was already quite busy with tour groups as well as the student groups. 

Piazza dei Miracoli

To enter Torre di Pisa you will need a ticket. Since it was not a holiday season, there was no long line to buy the ticket on the spot on the ticket counter. If you plan to see some other historical buildings apart from the tower, you can also get the combined ticket which costs 27 Euros. Since we only planned to stay for half day, we chose the ticket for the tower which is already combined with the Cathedral for 20 Euros. There is 30 minute time slot to enter the tower so you have to be there on the designated time. We were lucky, our time slot was within 10 minutes after we got the tickets on hand. However, we also had to rush a little bit because we had to deposit our bags in the cloakroom. It is not allowed to enter the tower with any bags, whether it is big or small. Once you store your bag, the attendant will give you a token which you should return when you collect your bag back. I think it is also safe to keep the entrance ticket as well because normally they write down your box number on it. I had my mobile phone, camera and card pouch with me in my jacket and left the rest in the box. 

Perfect sunny spring weather

The spring weather in Pisa was perfect. The sun was shining and there were some cotton candy clouds scattering on the bright blue sky. Before entering the tower, there was a checking point to make sure you don’t bring the unessential things in. As I stepped in into the tower, suddenly I felt dizzy because of the slanting floor. However this didn´t stop me from going up. I have to admit that I had to make a stop before reaching the top of the tower because I was running out of breath. 

There were some stopping points where people can have a short break before continuing the journey up.  After stepping up 273 marble steps, we finally reached the top of the tower. The exhausting climb and the running out of breath from stepping up the marble stairs were really worth the breathtaking view.

The view from the top of Torre di Pisa

From there you can see the beautiful town of Pisa in 360 degree view and the surrounding Tuscan country side. On the top of the tower you will also find 7 massive bells hung elegantly. 

The bells on atop of Torre di Pisa

The marble steps

The marble steps

Getting down from the tower is much easier than going up, but you still have to be careful because the indelible marble steps are sometimes wet and slippery.  

Duomo di Pisa

From Torre di Pisa we continued our visit to the Duomo di Pisa. Unlike the tower, you can enter this Cathedral anytime you like, there is no specific time slot. The construction of Duomo di Pisa was started in 1063 and was declared primatial church in 1092. Both the exterior and interior decoration are amazing. 

The exterior decoration of Duomo di Pisa

The rich exterior decoration contains multicolored marble, mosaic, and numerous bronze objects from the spoils of war, among which is the griffin which was taken in Palermo in 1061 and later placed on the eastern part of the roof. 

The interior of Duomo di Pisa

There are 27 paintings that cover the galleries behind the main altar, depicting stories of the Old Testament and stories of the life of Christ, were made between the 16th and 17th centuries mostly by Tuscan artists, among whom are Andrea del Sarto (three works: Saint Agnes, Saints Catherine and Margaret, and Saints Peter and John the Baptist) il Sodoma, and Domenico Beccafumi (Stories of Moses and the Evagelists).

The paintings on left and right side of the Cathedral

The Pulpit of Giovanni Pisano

The tomb altar of St. Rainier

You will also find the Pulpit of Giovanni Pisano and the tomb of St. Rainier, the patron saint of Pisa.

After spending the whole morning in the Piazza dei Miracoli, we decided to have an early lunch in a restaurant not so far from the Piazza before we went on to the next place. 

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina on Arno River

We walked a little bit along the Arno river toward Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina (Santa Maria della Spina church). The small gothic church was erected around 1230 and enlarged after 1325. It was originally known as Santa Maria di Pontenovo for the newer bridge that existed nearby, collapsed in the 15th century, and was never rebuilt. The name of della Spina ("of the thorn") derives from the presence of a thorn, putatively part of the crown of thorns placed on Christ during his Passion and Crucifixion.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina

On our way back to the train station, we made a stop for some coffee and cake before we headed to the famous mural of Keith Haring, Tuttomondo, at the church of Sant'Antonio Abate.

Keith Haring´s  mural Tuttomondo