Pisa and Viareggio

So my entire experience here was been so incredible it is hard to imagine it getting any better and then a day like this past Saturday comes along to make it even more perfect. Our perfect day started with a quick train ride to Pisa. While it definitely was super touristy like everyone says, it was interesting to see a city with a more renaissance rather than medieval feel to it. And just like everywhere else we happened to find a little market with fresh food and cheese samples. Looking at the tower for the first time it is hard not to laugh that this architectural nightmare where nothing went as planned became world famous... and the fact that its this short little tower and is leaning so much. After taking a ton of tourist pictures we made our way back to the train station and continued on our way to Viareggio. Viareggio is known for its giant Carnevale parade with giant floats and is considered one of the biggest celebrations in Italy. While our plans to go for Carnevale didn't pan out I'm so happy we got to go there today. Looking at the forecast this morning it looked a little unsure whether our beach plans would work out. but we hoped for the best and decided to give it a try anyway and it couldn't have been better. 61 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny skies as wee pulled into Viareggio. After a small snack and exploring another outdoor market we wandered down cute little streets lined with palm trees until we got to the beach. It was so amazing just to sit and relax on the beach while taking in the view of the sea in front of us and the snow capped mountains in the distance. Careful to avoid the train strike this evening we left right before sunset and made it back to Siena just in time for dinner. I could not picture a better way to spend a day!