We visited several small towns in the Umbria region of Italy which include Orvieto and Assisi from my last post.  Umbria is famous for medieval towns, wine and beautiful farmland.  We stayed in Torgiano, also in the Umbria region.  The oldest part of Torgiano is still partly surrounded by a wall.  Pictured below is the Torre di Guardia which is a defensive tower dating back to the 13th Century.   As we walked to see this tower, we came across the San Bartolomeo Church which is also pictured.

We also visited San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage site.   The surviving structures are examples of what was typical in the middle ages:  a town square, streets, wells, fountains and a protective wall. San Gimignano originally had 72 towers – today, 14 still exist.  One of the towers and the San Giovanni Gate are pictured below.

Within the town is the Church of St. Francis which dates back to the 13th Century.  Part of the facade is preserved.   Also below is the Piazza della Cisterna which was one of two squares in San Gimignano.  In its center is a stone well.  The square is bordered by tower houses.  Some of the other buildings, depicting what would be typical in medieval times, are also pictured.

As we traveled, we saw many interesting and beautiful things from our bus.  Below is a picture of the rolling countryside.  Next is a picture of the remains of an aqueduct.  We were able to get a glimpse of the Leaning Tower of Pisa during our travels.  And perhaps most unique are the mountains pictured below.  There is not snow on the mountains, but rather refuse from marble quarries in Carrara.  Carrara marble has been used in structures such as the Pantheon and Trajan’s Column.  Many sculptures, including Michelangelo’s David, were carved using Carrara marble.  Supposedly Michelangelo sometimes supervised the cutting of the marble he used.

Another one of our stops was Viareggio.  We only stayed here one night, but it was a chance to “catch our breath.”  It is a beautiful seaside town and we were also able to enjoy a sunset with our fellow travelers.

We traveled by boat from the Gulf of La Spezia to Monterosso, one of the five towns in the Cinque Terre.  Immediately below is the Church of St. Peter, dating back to 1198.  It was built over an older church from the 5th Century.  The new part has stripes of black and white marble.  The last two pictures were taken between Portovenere and Monterosso.

We docked at Monterosso.  One of the first things we saw was the Church of St. John the Baptist.  It was built between 1244 and 1307.  The marble columns in the church are original.  The baptismal font was carved from Carrara marble in 1359.  There was a major flood in 2011.  The church’s statues survived because residents carried them from the flooded church to safety.

On October 25, 2011, an unusually heavy rainfall resulted in 20 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. There were landsides with mud and debris 12 feet deep in the streets.  Mayor Angelo Betta stated, “Monterosso does not exist anymore…We need help quickly.  It is just a sea of mud everywhere.”  The three pictures below are ones I took of pictures displayed in Monterosso.

Today, most shops, restaurants and hotels have recovered and are welcoming tourists.  When we visited Monterosso, we would not have known about the flood were it not from our tour guide and the pictures displayed in the town.