It was a rather later start to our day than we had expected, with the knock on affect of us arriving in Pisa at midday. As we searched for a parking space, the temperature signs showed that it was already 40°C … it was going to be a scorcher! We parked on the outskirts and walked, following the signs for Torre Pendante.
As we drew nearer to the Tower, the crowds were building and so were the amount of restaurants and tourist shops. We soon found ourselves looking for a space where we could take that typical Leaning Tower of Pisa shot. Each of us assumed the pose, and so our ‘holding up the Tower’ pictures were immortalised.
The heat and the crowds were now slowly taking their toll on us, so we decided to not spend any more time than we had to, and leave. As it was so unbearably hot, we decided to stop at a café and have a long, cold drink to see us on the rest of the way back to the car. Here we decided that Lucca would be a nice place to stop, Dan had heard from a friend that the Old Town was a lovely place to explore.
Sated from our cool drink, we melted our way along back to the cars and headed off out into Lucca. It was lunch time when we pulled up outside the Old Town walls. We grabbed our lunch, the picnic blanket and a drink and sat under a tree to eat. There was a tourist office across the road, and so we paid it a visit to find the nearest campsite. It was just up the road a bit, so we hoped back in the cars and went in search.
The campsite was more geared for motor homes, but they had a large field where tents were able to pitch. Carole and Daniel had to pitch their tents there, whilst we had a motor home spot, just opposite the field. Cassie was in luck, there was a swimming pool. Tents pitched, costumes on, it was off to the pool to cool off after a stinker of a day.
Carole and Cassie decided to stay at the pool, whilst Daniel, Dan and I wanted to head off into the Old Town for a little bit of an explore. It was a little trek into the Old Town, but we stopped off at a bar just inside the walls for a refreshing beer. We then spent the next couple of hours wondering around and admiring the cobbled street, beautifully decorated front doors and churches.
Back to camp for a spatch-cocked chicken on the braai and a nice early night. It’s time we started to head off in the direction of Bari to catch the ferry across to Croatia.
Dan’s a windsurfing, adventure-seeking nomad with a passion for exploring the globe overland and an Engineer. Having grown up in the Middle East, he brings a unique perspective to Getting Lost Again, sharing his love for discovering hidden gems and embracing the unexpected. When he’s not on the road, he finds inspiration in windsurfing and other creative pursuits – and is equally at home under a vehicle solving problems as he is exploring a new place.
