This morning we said good-bye to Tuscany and moved north to the Italian Riviera. On the way, we stopped in Pisa for lunch and to visit the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Work on the tower began in 1173. The tower's tilt began during construction because the ground was too soft on one side of the foundation to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
While passing though the city of Carrara, we saw striking mountains where Carrara marble is quarried. This high quality, white or blue-grey marble is popularly used in sculpture (Michelangelo’s David) and building material (the Pantheon). The photo below captures not only the mountain quarry, but where it is manufactured into slabs for building as well.
We frequently spotted mountaintop villages in the green hills as we rode through beautiful Tuscany and beyond.
We arrived in Santa Margherita by the late afternoon and took a five minute walk to the seashore. From the pier, we could see Cinque Terra at a distance. We should be able to slow our pace a bit to enjoy the lovely Italian Riviera for the next couple of days.
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