The Piazza dei Miracoli, formally known as Piazza del Duomo, is located in central Pisa. It's…read morerecognized as an important center of medieval art and probably one of the finest architectural complexes. I'd say you won't miss this plaza if you're visiting Pisa.

A trip to Italy would not be complete without a stop in Pisa for the "Square of Miracles"!…read more We visited Pisa as a stopover on our Trenitalia trip back to Rome from Cinque Terre's Manarola. We only had about 4 hours in Pisa before we had to head back to our train, so we made our way directly toward the Piazza dei Miracoli - and it was awe inspiring! Such beauty and history to explore, in the Tower, Cathedral, the Baptistery, etc. Do not stick only to the Tower (and don't do the touristy photo op of "holding the tower up") I highly recommend going into the Cathedral and taking a walk around the inside. Beautiful artwork and architecture inside there. If you aren't able to climb the Campanile (leaning tower) - physically unable to, fear of heights, not enough time, etc - I still recommend this stop in Pisa. The Tower is beautiful from the outside too, if you aren't able to go inside/up, and the other buildings of the Piazza are worth the trip by themselves! One tip: you cannot see the Leaning Tower or any other of the Piazza dei Miracoli buildings by driving by or standing outside on the street. You have to go through a small marketplace of vendors to get to the archway entry. Once inside the entryway, that is where you will see the buildings you are looking for. Have fun!

This is the beach Sofia Loren and Marcello Mastrianni used to hang out on in the 50s. It's got…read morestriped umbrellas, rocks to climb on and a great sunset view...go here for the nostalgia more than to be wow'ed...its clean and nice and all that but the charm is it's history. In Italians' hearts this is a special place. Castiglioncello is pricey and still hanging on to it's hey day but check out the massive villas still the second homes of Italy's rich, and, the gelato from one of the many gelateria's is good. The gran cafe Gino's at the fork in the road at the centre of the village is famous, they have good panetone around Christmas too!

Volterra is just a beautiful hilltop town. Countless lanes and streets. Nice to get lost in. Many…read moregreat little restaurants to dine in and lots of small shops - touristy and less-touristy. Somewhen you will come across the beating heart of this town - the Piazza Dei Priori. The tourist office is located here, the police as well. A good number of historic buildings - and a public toilet just around the corner in case you look for one. There are also restaurants - a great spot to sit down and watch the world go by. But the better small restaurants with great food (but less views) are not located here. But you should check out on the "Toscanamente" shop. Fantastic Pecorino Cheese (pear, truffle, Chianti or plain) and tasty salumi (boar and regular). A nice Piazza to stroll around, take some pics and just to enjoy.

The drive to the hilltop town of Volterrra on this cool Autumn day came with a calming view of the…read morebeautiful Tuscany country side under a cloudless blue sky. The road has many sharp turns. We made sure to park outside the walled town. Luckily we found a spot near Porta Florentina right across from the Roman amphitheater ruins. This is a charming little town with narrow cobble stone streets. It's easy to walk to the town's main attractions, including a gorgeous square, a cathedral, a bell tower, a baptistery, and an arch monument with three heads. There's a tourist info office in Piazza dei Priori. After a leisurely stroll we stopped at Atutta Pizza for a quick lunch of cheese burger and pizza before the metered time ran out. It was a delightful, worthwhile day tour from our Hilton hotel in Selvatelle.