These last few days have been a marathon, due to weather conditions. I have had to avoid some terrible weather. I got stuck up to the axle in Aups. I don’t think the campsite owner was very impressed! The same afternoon I lost my shirt (well €15) in Monte Carlo’s Casino. I thought that as a high roller I could park right outside, but I was wrong again! Easter Day saw me in Pisa, along with several thousand others, so as well as seeing the leaning Tower I joined several hundred for Midday Mass in the Cathedral. (No I’m not catholic and I don’t speak Italian). Soon after lunch the weather again played its hand and I decided to run for Florence. The evening arrival meant that I was able to be up and at it early on Easter Monday. The queue for the Duomo was short as it was still early. The exquisite marble exterior is countered by a very subdued inside save the inside of the dome. Next on the list was the Ponte Vecchio, via the Palacio Vecchio and the copy of Michelangelo’s David. Whilst in the Piazza Santa Cecilia, I discovered that the Uffizi Gallery was open, and not only that, I managed to get a timed entry ticket! So I spent most of the afternoon looking at Titian’s, Botticelli’s, a few Raphael’s, a couple of Leonardo Da Vinci’s and hundreds of naked Statues. I was also lucky to see Michelangelo’s only moveable (probably) painting, ”Holy Family with Infant St John the Baptist” as it had only just gone back on display. Overnight the rain returned so that I was forced to abandon hope of a second day in Florence and armed with the weather forecast that said the East Coast of Italy was warm and sunny I set off towards the world’s oldest Republic, dating from AD301, San Marino. With an area of just 61sq Kms it is the world’s 5th smallest independent state. Heavy rain and low cloud greeted me (I never knew it was possible to have fog inside buildings before!). Fortunately by morning the clouds had gone and I spent several hours exploring the Old Town and up to the 3 Towers. The views are stunning and it is possible to see Rimini, and the Adriatic Sea, in the distance.
