Tuscany and The Cinque Terre

Our first night in Tuscany was Siena, in stark contrast to where we’d come from, the sun was shining and the sights looked wonderful.  We explored Siena’s Duomo, what a fabulous building with amazing history and we climbed the tower to enjoy the views of not only Siena but the surrounding countryside – picture perfect.  There were a few markets within the old walled town and we enjoying walking as the mood took us, exploring small streets with boutique shops.  A gorgeous little town:

From Siena our ultimate destination was Lucca – also our Christmas destination.  The girls were SO excited – we’ve been talking about Christmas in Lucca for such a long time.  It was also where we were reconnecting with Catherine, so the excitement was doubled.  From Siena we drove the minor roads and saw Calle Val de Elsa (a town built on a rocky outcrop – I stayed here with Mum and Dad back in 1990/91), then on to San Gimignano – two typical Tuscan villages – but not the only ones we saw as we drove through the countryside.  You can look in any direction at any time and the view is postcard perfect – such a lovely place to experience.

We arrived in to Lucca and successfully navigated the narrow streets (in our car) to find our B&B.  Not only did we meet Catherine here – we also met the owner of the B&B, Gaia, who is the cousin of our friends from home.  She is the owner of B&B La Romea – the prefect place to stay when in Lucca and even more perfect to spend Christmas away from home.


We spent 4 nights in Lucca and divided our time between exploring Lucca and also the surrounding towns and cities.  Including – Florence, the Cinque Terre, Bagni de Lucca and Fornoli.  The girls were disappointed we didn’t go to Pisa, Andrew and I have been before and we thought another visit was probably not a good use of our time – we also need to leave things for the girls to do when they come back!


Christmas Day was a definite highlight.  It began in the B&B with the amazing breakfast, presents on the table from Gaia and yummy champagne.  We enjoyed a walk through the quiet streets before packing up our picnic lunch and hiring 2 pedal bikes – a 4 seater and a 3 seater.  Lucca is a walled town, the walls are different to other walled towns.  The walls are so wide you could drive on them – so hiring bikes and riding ‘the walls’ is a must.  A treat we saved for Christmas Day.  The 4.2km round trip was great fun and we found a beautiful spot for lunch in the sun.  It was different in every way to all the other Christmas’ we’ve had – except for the overeating part!  We had a short afternoon rest before heading out to a traditional pizzeria, recommended by Gaia, for dinner.  A day we won’t forget.

We spent a total of 4 nights in Lucca and divided our time between exploring Lucca and also the surrounding towns and cities.  Including – Florence, the Cinque Terre, Bagni de Lucca and Fornoli.  The girls were disappointed we didn’t go to Pisa, Andrew and I have been before and we thought another visit was probably not a good use of our time – we also need to leave things for the girls to do when they come back!  Here’s The rest of Tuscany and the Cinque Terre in pictures: