Sunday 9 June - Volterra
After yet another night's painful intermittent sleep on a rock hard slab, we levered ourselves onto our little coach and drove for a couple of hours to Pisa with its resident population of  120,000. Its tourist population is beyond calculation. Constant swarms come to view its famed leaning tower which was closed in 1990 to give it additional support to stop it leaning further. It was straightened only by 80 centimeters so that the tourist trade could continue. EVERYBODY wanted their classic photo of standing in the most grotesque poses so the photo made it look as if they were holding it up. Peter and I did not stoop to such common stupidity. The Pisa Cathedral was started to be built in 1115AD but took 5 centuries to be completed.  Being a Sunday we were only allowed to stand at the back so as not to interrupt the ritual. The organ was in full throttle as we entered but unfortunately came to the closing cadences.  However we stayed in the cool peace for some of the Gregorian chanting until it was time for the Baptistry to be opened to the public following a baptism. Do you know that the people who do were still posing in their stupidity in front of the Gothic pulpit which is considered to be the most beautiful in Europe. I think such behaviour is sacrilegious . In the Cathedral is the lamp that Galileo used to assist in his planetary theories that caused him to be imprisoned for daring to contradict the catholic belief that the sun revolved around the earth. Mercifully he was not beheaded so somebody had some appreciation of scientific theory back in the day.

We could not handle tourists' crass behaviour so found ourselves a haven for the cappuccino and loo ritual in a shady spot around where the tourist horses and carriages were waiting their turn to clop these people who needed to be photographed around the town once they'd finished holding the leaning tower. We sat down at a table next to a German couple. The wife had just fallen down a curb or a cobblestone and either broken or badly sprained her ankle. So, so easy. It certainly slowed us down Fortunately they were with a group, so the official tour leader was making arrangements for her care.

At 12.30 we took refuge from the crippling heat and returned to our beautifully air conditioned little coach, and to the accompaniment of Botticelli who was born in Pisa, we were driven along the Aurelia Highway to Volterra. Both Peter and I considered that the tenor we heard in Lucca last evening was way better than Botticelli  but we would not dare confess to that opinion in public. This medieval town is built on a plateau and archeologists have found proof of a 10,000 year history. We were taken through the town to view the remains of an unrestored Roman Theatre and then to our enchanting Tuscan hotel. It was great to be told we were free until 8.15am tomorrow.  What with the heat of the afternoon sun, and our two sleep-deprived nights we had reached the end of our interest in anything else old. We were consumed with our own oldness.

However, after a couple of hours sleep on a mattress that did give us comfortable support,  we sallied forth after 6pm when the sun had less ferocity and slowly ambled back up the steep slopes to the town centre where there had been great festivities and merriment at a Mystery and Magic festival for which many of the locals had dressed in such entertaining costumes. People had flocked from other regions to be part of the fun, but we thoroughly enjoyed our diligent research into pina coladas. All the shops were still open and crowds had emerged in the cool of the evening to eat, drink and be merry. Such fun. There is no alcohol abuse throughout Italy because there is no restriction on its consumption. Interesting to see this attitude put into practice. I would have thought that at the end of such a Festival of celebration the town would have been littered with drunken youths and their disgusting rubbish. Not a bit if it.

So we found ourselves a little Tuscan crepery and enjoyed our accompanying chianti in peace and quiet.