Terra Cognita

My Tent
Originally uploaded by adraskoy

One of my favourite places is the Campeggio di San Pietro above Verona. Hanging out in the bastions of an old ruined castle, enjoying the view of the city's red tile roofs, listening to the music of the many bell towers, eating really good food and wine cheap!

This is an old picture, but it's much the same. The tent and I are both a bit older and showing some wear, but the castel remains immortal.

Left Pisa after basing myself there in a convenient but less interesting campsite for five days. Made side trips to Lucca, which is fantastic, and Viareggio also. Viareggio is just a modern grid city with lots of sand on a boring beach. What makes it interesting is the sea of course, and the national park. There's a very interesting transition from shore through sand to dunes, and then some vegetation beginning-- mostly shrubs and what looks like Juniper. Soon there's some marsh and then the pine forest begins. At first there's a lot of sand amongst the pines which is an interesting juxtaposition. There's snakes and lizards all over the place, and lots of birds. Also undergrowth that looks like small palm trees of some sort. Eventually it becomes a regular pine forest, with lots of hanging vines, and finally the pines get very tall and assume the usual profile you find in Italy. It's not the cone-shaped tree we have in North America, but instead imagine an eighty-foot tall piece of broccoli.

Of Pisa itself, I have no more stories, save that after making that last entry I turned a corner and ran into an old friend from university. The tour of the archeological site was the highlight for me, and the visit to Lucca, which is the more interesting of the two cities.

I may do another day trip, but basically this is it before I go to visit friends. This is a place I know quiet well, so my trip has progressed in decreasing order of adventurousness. Generally, it's better to do it the other way around I think, but I'm enjoying the winding down, and seeing a familiar place with a more dicerning eye and a new camera.