(Italy) In Italy, Between Calmness and Passion

[14/03/20~24 (D+936) Italy/(Florence)] In Italy, Between Calmness and Passion

Between Calmness and Passion is the movie which was taken in Florence. The way to Florence is just between Coldness and Warmness.

A road is too narrow, and there is no shoulder. But most of car drive so fast. Today there are so many girls standing at the next to the road at the way to get out of city from the morning.

Even I can’t not count how many girls are waiting. I think Milano has really unique thing.

After taking a small road, it is quiet. But still there is no shoulder.

These days I love a jar of olive. The yogurt I bought in Carrefour has too much chemical smell that I will not buy it at the next time.

Quiet farm

Shepherding

It was really hard to find a place to sleep, so I had to be on the road until 9:30pm. Many of people in Italy are too cold to give me some place to set up my tent. The coldest country in my experience in the world so far is Brazil.
Here one more is, Italy!
My experience in Italy is almost the same as when I was in Brazil.

At the next morning, I stop at some park and have breakfast. I like the place which has a bin, because I don’t need to carry garbage.

Today I have to climb the mount again. At first I cross the bridge.

He is touring short way, but he carries lots of stuff for his work. He has really big smiling which makes people happy.
I bought many oranges so that I give him one. He gives me apple as well. Oh.. sharing a fruit is good!

This time, I decide the route at the next to a river again.

When I start going into the mount, I feel so hard that I stop many times.

Today morning the altitude was 100m (328 ft), and finally I reach to 900m (2,952 ft) at the late afternoon. 10 km (6.25 mi) before Barceto, it is too steep to cycle so that I push my bike. Even it is too hard to push my bike that I stop so many times.

When I close to the village, I can cycle again, because it is no more steep uphill.
In my experience, usually village people are kinder than city people. But Italy is exception. Everybody is too cold to give me a permit to set up my tent.
Every people denies me with many different reasons in this small village. At the night, I start begging… Oh….please…..I am too scary to set up tent in the forest…….
Finally a local people let me set up tent.
Just before I ready to sleep, she brings warm tea and food.

It is really between Coldness and Warmness.

I heard that Southern Italian is more opened mind and kinder. But I don’t have time to check this one, because my visa will be expired soon.

Next morning, I can’t see anything.

It is too foggy to see forward.

After a downhill and hills, I reach to the coast. I arranged Couch surfing about the place to stay at a local people’s house in Pisa, but she suddenly sent me a message that she cannot host me, because suddenly she heard there is a party and she wants to go there. I’ve never had this kind of experience so far with a host. It is so funny embarrassing experience. hahaha
It would be not possible to set up tent in Pisa which is too touristic city. I try to use Warmshower at last minute. As I sent a local people a message, she calls me back quickly and finds the place to sleep at her friend’s house near Pisa.
Wow….
It is just between Coldness and Warmness everyday.

The morning is a bit cloudy.

When I close to a city of Pisa, I just laugh because I can see the leaning tower from far a way.

At the entrance there are many gift shops.

This is leaning tower…………..

No.. I am just joking. hahahahah…….My lens makes distortion.

This is real Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a bell tower.

They started to construct a bell tower in 12 c. They tried to finish building in three stages.
(The first 1173~1178=5 years
The second 1272~1278=6 years
The third 1360~1372=12 years)

They found leaning after the fist construction. They tried to fix it during the second construction. They gave up stopping leaning, but just finished building at the last stage.

In 1990, the final solution to prevent the collapse of the tower was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle, by removing 38 cubic metres (1,342 cubic feet) of soil from underneath the raised end.

Cathedral in the park

Actually the biggest reason why the tower is not any more leaning is tons of people try to stop leaning like making this kind of position everyday….

You know the energy from palms…. We are doing really good job.

The entrance fee of the park is free, but people have to pay 18 Euros to go up. I am so curios that I pay it.

My picture is not the problem that it is totally parallel. Just the tower is leaning.

The stair is very narrow, so there is limitation. Every 30 minutes people can go up as a group. It is a slow season that I don’t need to wait to go up.

It is from the top.

Actually the city of Pisa is famous only for the leaning tower. So, many people don’t stay here much.

The bell

If it was not leaning, I am sure that it would be not much touristic.

One of cathedrals in the park is free to enter, but people has to get a free ticket from the office. The person who already bought the ticket for going up the Leaning Tower of Pisa doesn’t need an extra ticket for it.

This cathedral is more beautiful than Milano’s one, I think.

I arrive in Florence at the night, because I had stayed a bit longer in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Also, it was really windy today.

My host’s bicycle is so special that he can carry his dog without the problem in the city.

This is a famous place to Asian, maybe because of Japanese movie which is called Between Calmness and Passion.

Here blah blah story is…

”
Living in Florence, Italy, Junsei Agata is studying to be a restoration expert who specializes in fine art. He feels life is empty. He was clinging to the memory of one girl with whom he spent his school days. Her name was Aoi. One day, he learns Aoi is in Milan and finds she lives with a wealthy American businessman. He finds she lives in a different world and runs away to Japan.
Junsei remembers a 10-year promise. When he was a college student in Japan, he made a promise with Aoi to meet on the top of the Duomo in Florence on her 30th birthday. He hangs on to one slight hope that Aoi must have remembered the promise. He decides to return to Florence to prove the love between him and Aoi is true.
”

But actually to go up to cathedral’s top, I have to pay 10 Euros. It is not a leaning building and even I don’t have a promise with any guy to meet on the top of the Duomo in Florence, so I don’t need to pay 10 Euros. Life is easy!

To see inside is free, but not much special.

Today is 24th of Mar, and now I am in Florence.
250 km (156 mi) is left to Venice.
If I cycle hard on 25th and 26th, I will arrive in Venice on 26th.
Then I can have a whole day tour in Venice on 27th.
I will cross the Slovenian border on 28th.
I will cycle in Slovenia on 29th.
My Schengen visa will be expired on 30th.
So, I must go out on 30th to Croatia which is not Schengen area.

It means I have only today in Florence.

Actually I already spent half of day on fixing my bicycle with helping of host today.

It is a bit sad that I didn’t make a good plan to have enough time for touring Florence.
I didn’t know that Florence is amazing. So many people say that this city is so attraction.. this city is touristic… blah blah… So I though Florence is one of that city.. too normal..

But it is not. I love this city so much.

Frankly speaking, Florence is my first touristic attraction city in Europe. Other cities were just a city.

I wish I have more time in Florence to find some guy to make a promise to meet on the top of Duomo. hahahahaha

Host’s friends show me a little bit around the center.

Palazzo Vecchio

It looks so real.

Because of reality of muscles and veins, it looks it will move soon.

Beautiful statues arrest my eyes

This is a David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo.

This statue is not an original one.

In front of Vecchio

Inside of Vecchio

It is so famous bridge which is called Ponte Vecchio, because there are many shops on the bridge.

A view of the sunset from the bridge of Vecchio.

Small road in Florence.

I decide to have a tour in the night as well, because I love here so much.

It is a night view of the bridge of Vecchio.

I think I love Florence, because I know that I don’t have enough time. Maybe it makes me realize how this city is beautiful.

Vecchio bridge..

It is the view from Michelangelo Square. Actually it is another reason I didn’t need to pay to go up to the top of Duomo.

The bridge and castle of Vecchio

Vecchio and Duomo of Florence

Another David which is not original one;

I really love this place because of beautiful statues so that I visit again after the Michelangelo square.

It looks much real on 12 am.

I think it is enough..

I satisfy that I enjoy very much today.

Next morning, as usual it is time to leave.

Thank you, Florence for giving me a good time!