5 August 2011  |  Travel

Pisa

Now that I’ve had a few days to decompress, do some laundry, organize all my crap (when I was leaving England, I pretty much just stuffed everything into my bag) and get in some rides, I guess it’s about time for a blog update. And while it doesn’t really seem fair to be blathering on about what a good time I am having here in Pisa, I don’t really have anything else interesting to write about.  So….sorry.

I could get used to this...

My cousin Miriam and her husband Paolo generously offered to let me stay at their home which is right in downtown Pisa (word to the wise: offer something like that, and I will DEFINITELY take you up on it…).  Paolo has been making sure that I adhere to a very strict diet which includes nothing but wine, cheese, fresh salads, fish, grilled meats and veggies, artisinal gelato….ok, I’ll stop). I’ve been supplementing with the blackberries that are growing wild on the side of every road, and I’ve been drooling over all the fig trees which also seem to grow pretty much everywhere- like weeds!

Paolo standing over our antipasti spread: fresh pecorino, octopus carpaccio, olives, "cappriccio di pesce," and a glass of white wine- no wonder he looks so happy!

Me, taking myself out for dinner

The amuse bouche at Osteria Bernardo: a fried sardine

My entree at Osteria Bernardo: coffee and sesame rubbed pork tenderloin with a carrot souffle

Pisa is a great town to base out of because I don’t need a car- everything is either within walking distance or a short bike ride away. The surrounding area is pretty flat, but there is a mountain range nearby- just a short 35 minute ride. I should also mention how nice it is riding on the roads here- there isn’t the same animosity towards cyclists that I’ve experienced in the US. Even a busy road with no shoulder is perfectly fine to ride on here (judging by the amount of older people I see out on bikes).

The bike path out to Monteserra

And heading back to Pisa

A roadside fig tree

Roadside blackberries