Italian sights(eeing...)

[GoFullAuto]

Thought some might like a few instant postcards from Tuscany

Land here is pretty tame, nothing like the wild, vast territories you have. But sceneries can be warm, and as a bike rider I have the privilege to reach out with maximum ease & fun. So why not share! Here we go:

On the way to the medieval town of Volterra (Pisa)

Believe it or not, that's a medieval town over that hilltop

And here's a self portrait. CheerZ from Italy!

By
G

 

[toolman]

great pics can,t believe how smooth those roads are WOW

 

[JWhitmore44]

Would love to ride those roads. Great pics

 

[contender]

Great pics, and Italy looks very nice by those pics! Thanks for sharing!

 

[45flattop]

Wow, I remember Italy from a visit once but it was in winter way up
near the Austrian border, pretty with the Alps and snow but nothing
like this scenic. Great Pictures!!

 

[yooper1]

Looks very nice

thank you for sharing them

 

[DeletedMember58]

Hullo G,

I have been to Pisa, but it was many years ago. We are planning a trip back again in a few years.

My parents were from Tripi, in Provincia Messina. The first time I visited I stayed almost 4 months, and saw many, many beautiful places in Italy. I traveled through a total of ten countries on that trip, what wonderful memories!

Ciao!

 

[GoFullAuto]

Thank you for the response

This area is about halfway down the "boot" (north-of-halfway to be precise) and it's already warmer and sweeter than the northern part. We may say it's the heartland of Italy, with many sights and traditions remaining from centuries ago.

Otony, I also have relatives, in the U.S., who came from southern Italy in the early 20th Century. I come visit them every 2 - 3 years (Boston and San Diego). I love this kind of ties across the Atlantic. As you might expect by now, I am a big fan of Americas and the U.S. :wink:

By
GfA

 

[powder smoke]

Very pretty country side. but where are all the trees?? Lumber must be expensive?? ps

 

[GoFullAuto]

Very pretty country side. but where are all the trees?? Lumber must be expensive?? ps

As I was announcing, land here is pretty much "tame". That also means that all land which is not too steep (as in mountains) was and is basically used for agriculture, or other applications that require trees to be out of the way.

So, we'd have to look for them along steeper hills / mountain sides. Then, I tend to take pictures of open land (giving a better, longer - range view), so by my pics you might get the feel that we don't have trees around. :wink:

I myself was amazed to see how much land is left to forest in Eastern U.S., or even in Germany for that matter :shock: But italy is a very small country and almost 80% hill and mountain, which is why almost all available plain land is "used" in some way :wink:

By
GfA

 

[DeletedMember58]

"Otony, I also have relatives, in the U.S., who came from southern Italy in the early 20th Century. I come visit them every 2 - 3 years (Boston and San Diego). I love this kind of ties across the Atlantic. As you might expect by now, I am a big fan of Americas and the U.S."

My family had relatives who came to the States just before and after the turn of the century. Most settled in the Boston area and just north in New Hampshire (where I was later born, so I suppose that makes me a Sicilian Yankee). Another part of the family settled in the San Francisco South Bay Area, where we moved to in my youth. These folks all arrived here prior to WWII. My parents arrived after the war, although my dad was here as a POW courtesy of Uncle Sam during the war years.

We have famiglia in Roma, Augusta, Messina, and still up in the mountains in Tripi. Unfortunately my visits there are not too frequent.

I resettled in Washington from California, which means I now shuttle regularly between San Jose and Boston to visit relatives.

Let us know the next time you are in Boston and we will meet up at Mike's for cannoli and coffee!

Antonino Guiseppe Aveni

 

[GoFullAuto]

Wao, thanks a lot, Otony. You have quite a history in the US. And you still write perfect Italian too! Not easy, this language of ours being a complex heap of exceptions :shock:

Now, for some more vistas. This place is... well, the parking lot of a place where you can stop for some super - tasty quick lunch. It's just 20 minutes from my home, on de way to / from the seaside. But I LOVE it for the vistas. Again, these pics can only tell a SMALL part of what you'd feel there :?

This was at the end of August 2008, last day of summer vacations, I was riding back home, but I could not resist one stop here. The sun was hot but I felt so much like "melting" down together with this scenery...

Beyond those distant hilltops on the horizon, lies the maritime city of LEGHORN (Livorno). And of course, the Mediterranean Sea. I can assure you, the "light" coming from there has something special that says "sea over here"!

By the way, the outskirts of Leghorn host one of the biggest US-Army / NATO logistic bases: Camp Darby. I plan to visit it on October 31st :wink:

Oh, and here is the... "bar"

By
GfA

 

[GoFullAuto]

And did I mention Leghorn? The city in itself is not spectacular, but they do have a seaside "balcony". And when the right light comes... it can be NICE!

Lookin' south

Lookin' north

North again

North again, a bit more in-shore

Dear old sun wrappin' up

Cold wind cut me to slices, as a price for waiting for the right moment to come. But it was worth it :wink:

By
GfA

 

[gewehrfreund]

I don't know Italian, but that all looks molto bellissimo. Makes me want to buy an airline ticket to avoid the next 5 months of upstate New York winter (again!).
Unfortunately, I have only been to the Dolomite Mtns. (Suedtirol as your nieghbors to the north would say), Bolzano, etc. Would love to get to the Toscana........someday.
LC

 

[GoFullAuto]

I don't know Italian, but that all looks molto bellissimo. Makes me want to buy an airline ticket to avoid the next 5 months of upstate New York winter (again!).
Unfortunately, I have only been to the Dolomite Mtns. (Suedtirol as your nieghbors to the north would say), Bolzano, etc. Would love to get to the Toscana........someday.
LC

"Molto bello" (=very beautiful) or "bellissimo" (=the most beautiful). ;-) absolutely not meaning to be annoying you, :wink: it's just to pass as much info as possible. Oh by the way any correction on my English will be welcome

Argh, alas, most of those 5 months will be cold here as well :?
Not so much cold and snowy (last year I saw Massachussets winter... Oh_My_GaWd :shock: ) but enough to call this "winter"

I only went to the Dolomites once, August 2001. We were a team of two sportbike buddies, with another sportbike local guiding us around those carving roads. To sum that experience up: "that's why you don't play videogames: you LIVE them!" :shock:

By
GfA

 

[gewehrfreund]

so much [/u]cold and snowy (last year I saw Massachussets winter... Oh_My_GaWd :shock: ) but enough to call this "winter"

There, I got my first free Italian lesson! molto bene, no?

As for winter, Massachussets doesn't know anything compared with ours, downwind of the snow machine called Lake Ontario. Ugh, can't wait - my back hurts just thinking about it. The driving is not so bad except for all the other clowns on the road who don't know how to drive on slippery roads. It's a complicated technique called - SLOW DOWN!

 

[TDF]

OK GFA so what exactly are you riding around those wonderful roads you call home? I'm in the middle of the US here where everything is flat and straight and to say that I'm jealous is an understatement. Here's my current ride. 2000 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport. Been played with a little bit but is a blast to ride. Also have a couple of 1960's Ducati's in the shed and an MDS from the 50's rounds out my italian contingent. Everything else is Japanese excepting the Bultaco.

TDF
P.S. my other passion is Ruger's

 

[GoFullAuto]

OK GFA so what exactly are you riding around those wonderful roads you call home? I'm in the middle of the US here where everything is flat and straight and to say that I'm jealous is an understatement. Here's my current ride. 2000 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport. Been played with a little bit but is a blast to ride. Also have a couple of 1960's Ducati's in the shed and an MDS from the 50's rounds out my italian contingent. Everything else is Japanese excepting the Bultaco.

Apart from my signature pic (that Yamaha R1 rides 95% track, 5% street, the latter with little fun at all), my roadbike is Yamaha's super standard FZS1000 "Fazer", bought heavily used and further heavily used

Please note the stylish "bullet holes" touch 8) everybody hates that here but I love to arouse people somehow :lol:

This bike is a go-everywhere, mile eater, sturdy and VERY powerful asset. Plus, it's out of fashion here: very low purchase price and no interest from thieves
Its "touring" looks also reduce police attention (I cannot resist some "customizations" which are not 100% legal :roll: )

Alas, multi - bike ownership here takes too much money in insurance and taxes. My 2 - bike + 1 car layout is already quite unusual and heavy on the wallet. But then, other people fare worse... and I can ride only one at a time :wink:

It's nice to find so many riders here. I feel people who love action sports sometimes have common traits Guns are sort of my "winter sports", for when I need some sort of blast and the weather will ground my bikes. But I've been addicted to guns since I was a kid, so it takes only a bit of reading this forum to fire up the passion again :wink:

Ciao!
GfA

 

[MtnJack]

Go full auto thank you for the pictures a very nice place. Is there any hunting to be had in your country? looks like there could be critters in those hills. Mtn Jack

 

[GoFullAuto]

Go full auto thank you for the pictures a very nice place. Is there any hunting to be had in your country? looks like there could be critters in those hills. Mtn Jack

Thank you again

Tuscany is the most hunt - intensive region in Italy. Alas, it is mostly limited to

- bird hunting
- wild boar hunting

very seldom it is possible to shoot deer and derivates (often just to keep control of their number, by picking those in worst shape).

The thing I don't like about wild boar is that only one form of hunting is allowed, and in my opinion it's a bit of a mess. I don't know the word for it: you have a team of people and dogs who make as much noise as possible covering a section of forest, pushing the scared animals towards a kind of "firing line", where another team of shooters must snap - shot the zipping hogs as they try to run past. Ranges are extremely short, and you use 12 ga-slugs or rifles (.308, 30-06), the quicker-repeating, the better.

I have hard time understanding how you can get a well placed, clean shot in those conditions. All the while remembering not to exceed your allowed cone of fire, lest someone of the team gets shot! :shock:

I'd LIKE to try my hand at hunting, but not that way :?

Ah, in Italy, handguns are traditionally understood as personal defense weapons. Carry (loaded and ready) is 100% forbidden unless you get a personal defense permit, which is exceptional :roll:
Therefore, you may practice BOW hunting but never, ever, handgun hunting

By
Gfa