As Easyjet quickly climbs from Pisa Airport there is one final chance to view Pisa, the Arno and of course the jaunty tower.

So on Friday night the sun set on another predictable tour. 

As the Blog looks back on it all he wonders whether anyone at all followed the adventure. It would be proper not to of course. Staring out from his balcony it finally dawns of the Blog that he does his blog thing for his own amusement. And why not? 

 

 

On Friday the beach was full of little dead fish! There didn't seem to be any explanation for this strange happening. It was a little worrying for everyone, particularly the fish.

     

 

 

 

These 2 women are busy looking at some trivial text message and ignoring the friendly person sitting next to them reading them poetry, probably.

The Champions League trophy was just about the least interesting thing on show in this mega fantastic city. Piazza numero uno, the Piazza della Signoria, was busy but thankfully a little less busy than previous high season tours.

Here is the Loggia dei Lanzi with its brilliant but very worrying statues displaying all manner of inhumanity.

Piazza MIchelangelo is a good place for a wedding if getting married is your sort of thing.

 

The Blog knows that no trip to Florence is complete without taking in the brilliant views that can be enjoyed from Piazza Michelangelo.

Long suffering bloggers should by now be able to name at least 2 of the buildings on view.

All cake loving bloggers should note that this city makes and sells exceedingly good cakes.

There are displays like this all round the city. Its best not to look.

The Blog can sort of understand people pushing and barging to see the famous Baptistry doors but can't begin to understand why people would push and barge to touch this old boar, but they do.

Every day masses of people push others out of the way to get a close look at the Baptistry doors. It is a disgraceful display of rudeness but actually understandable.

Not much happened on Wednesday as the tour just hung out individually and sometimes collectively.

Thursday the tour went off the Florence yet again because that was the popular choice and this is a very democratic tour.

Look at the ceiling of the Bapistry. It is a wonder to behold.

And there is always the delight of the square that is actually round.

Lucca has shops too fashionable for the blog to consider but also shops using traditional ways of doing business.

As is always the case in these parts, the rain stopped and it was just like it had never happened. So the tour was able to get on its way to Lucca. This is always a tour highlight. This place must surely make everyone's top 5 places to visit ever.

Although the rain had delayed everything, some of the interesting shops were still open although this good jewelry shop was just about to close.

Following 3 or 4 days of hot summer weather, Tuesday morning presented the tour with a massive downpour as seen from the Blog's room.

This nice establishment sold all sorts of different coffees but the Blog didn't get to try even one of them.

On Monday Mrs Hayes was keen to spend time with her bike so the Blog took off to Carrara. This place is world famous for its marble and its marble has built many a fine Duomo and statue in Italy's finest cities.

But like when last year's tour went to Parma and could hardly find any Parma Ham or Parmesan cheeses or when it went to Modena and couldn't find any reference to the great Pavarotti, so it was at Carrara. 

It promised great slabs of marble everywhere and marble workshops to view but it didn't deliver.

There was however a house that Michelangelo stayed at when he visited Carrara to choose the best marble for the Pieta , David and other works.

  

Here are the Catanzano nearly Ultra putting the Nottingham Florist away support to shame.

Catanzano were awarded an early penalty but the home team, in Notts County kit, ran out 3-1 winners.  

Nearly motivated by the previous day's beach polo (with horses!) the tour decided to take in an Italian League match. The match in question being the local team Esperia Viareggio versus Catanzano from a long way down south in Calabria.

This being a Serie C game (Division 3) the tour's presence would significantly increase the attendance at the Stadio dei Pini. 

A word (or words) of warning for any bloggers dreaming of seeing an Italian league match. They don't want you to! Even though they have hundreds and hundreds of empty seats.

Firstly they change the time of the kick off from 2pm to 3pm without telling anyone so you are put off by having to wait an extra hour outside in an unattractive area.

Then, without notice, they wait until it is your turn to buy a ticket to tell you they won't sell you one without seeing your passport. Now the Blog, having attended thousands of matches, wasn't expecting this so didn't have his passport with him.

After swearing at the ticket office staff, who were only obeying orders, a phone call to Mrs Hayes rescued the day. She was doing nothing but sitting on the beach so she collected her bike, went to the hotel, got the Blog's passport and delivered it to Stadio dei Pini.

Then it took so so long for them to verify and record the Blog's identity it was unbelievable and a lesser fan of footy would certainly have given up but eventually (about 20 minutes later) the Blog was in having missed the first 10 minutes.

When the beach umbrellas and chairs are taken in at the end of the season all sorts of other things happen. On Saturday the tour experienced beach polo (with horses as well!).

It was the annual cup and the competitors were aggressive and determined in their pursuit of victory. The Blog has no idea who won it and it wasn't covered by Sky Sports either but it occupied a few minutes and Mrs Hayes loved it for some reason.

There was a wedding at Camaiore on Saturday when the tour visited.  Never mind a horse and carriage or a Rolls Royce the happy couple arrived together on some kind of motorised wheels. With their names on the front. 

Whilst the Blog knows everything back in the great Enable enterprise is in good hands, the break down of communications has been very disconcerting. The Blog likes to stay in touch with everyone's good deeds and to be on hand should anything need his input.

It is surprising to admit that Twitter has at least enabled the Blog to follow the problems with the telecommunications and the efforts to rectify these. Well dome Twitter.

Of course the Blog isn't one to frequent those healthy centres or spas but many people do apparently.
And in Italy, Montecatini is the place to go. Here is one of the popular spas.

Why was the Blog at such a place?
Well there is a great funicular ride up a mountain to Montecatini Alto. 

Even the hospital in Pistoia is pleasing to see.

There was one of those old carts on view. Sadly they don't seem to be common place in Sicily like they were. Modernisation is often but not always good.

There was a Sicilian market open offering all sorts of unknown produce from that great island, birthplace of the other Don.

The wine is particularly interesting but the Blog didn't buy any as he already has some left from a previous (unrecorded) tour. 

Like all the Tuscan towns and cities, Pistoia had a very enchanting square where you could sit all day if you had the time to.

On Friday the tour piled on to an earlyish train eager to see Pistoia, somewhere no previous tour had ventured to.  

The trains are always a pleasure, on time, comfy and there is always something engaging to see from the window.