title La Verna Monastery and the Fireflies of Tuscany, Italy - 14th June 2013 intro We spend a very relaxing day up in the mountains of the Tuscan Appenines at La Verna, an important centre for the Franciscan order as it is said to be where Saint Francis of Assisi received the stigmata. Even the packed restaurant proves to be a hit: at first glance it looks too formal for a spot of lunch with two small boys, and for a while we wonder where the menus are and what we've let ourselves in for. But after a while, bowls of food appear and it becomes apparent that we just choose whether or not we want to eat whatever it is - the bill being totted up on an honesty basis at the end. So lunch proves to be some nice tuna and tomato pasta, bread, olive oil, a few chips for Fred and an ice-cream to finish. Later, after another Limoncello session, Nosher gets the mini tripod out and spends an hour in the garden trying to capture the wonder of night-time fireflies, having never seen them before. Finally, on the way back to the airport, we stop off at Livorno, just on the coast near to Pisa, to see if we can find a beach to hang out on for a while. imgp2155 The endless amusement of seeing actual lizards imgp2160 Fred with one of his random Korean tee-shirts imgp2162 A tree's roots dangle in the air imgp2163 The pantile roofs of La Verna imgp2164 Fred stumps around imgp2165 Fred and Isobel walk up a steep path imgp2167 A view from the monastery imgp2172 Fred does some drawing imgp2174 The monastery of La Verna imgp2176 A wooden cross on the hill imgp2177 Harry tucks in to some pasta in the restaurant imgp2178 The death of Christ, in lead-glazed teracotta imgp2179 We walk through some sort of gallery imgp2182 Isobel and Harry plunge down in to the grotto imgp2183 Fred in a cave imgp2184 Some sort of shrine in the grotto imgp2187 It doesn't look nearly as high up as it is imgp2189 Isobel pauses imgp2192 Old mediaeval wall paintings imgp2193 Fred runs along the gallery imgp2194 A chapel with candles imgp2200 Another lizard scurries about imgp2202 Fred draws the bell tower imgp2204 Isobel walks back from the bogs imgp2205 A small church imgp2210 Isobel, Harry, Fred and a large wooden cross imgp2211 Inside the basilica of the Sanctuary of La Verna imgp2216 There's a cool old Lancia in a lay-by imgp2218 Isobel prepares some lunch imgp2221 Fred scoots about the kitchen imgp2223 Fred eats his favourite of the moment: salami imgp2225 Harry reaches over imgp2231 Lunch is eaten imgp2237 Gabes has just a little bit of yoghurt on his face imgp2240 A cat gives the hairy eyeball imgp2242 The giant pots of Il Palazzo imgp2248 The Tenuta il Palazzo site imgp2249 Sunset over the car park imgp2250 A discarded Tweety-Pie soft toy looks folorn imgp2253 Sunset over Tuscany imgp2259 Good thing we kept the hire car clean imgp2263 The path up to our apartment imgp2264 Garden benches imgp2269 By the evening lights imgp2295 Each green dot or streak is a firefly imgp2296 Fire flies dance around imgp2297 Fireflies and star trails imgp2306 More poppies of Tuscany imgp2307 A services on the Autostrada imgp2308 A restaurant on the clifftop imgp2309 We park after about 30 minutes of searching imgp2310 A view of the Mediterranean imgp2311 Isobel and Fred by an Italian flag imgp2312 Fred looks out to sea imgp2313 The waterfront at Livorno imgp2316 Isobel and Fred imgp2319 A nice round cove at Livorno imgp2320 Fred and Isobel on the cliffs at Livorno imgp2321 At the Hertz depot at Pisa airport imgp2322 Fred and Harry scoff gelato at Pisa airport imgp2323 There's a pigeon in the actual café imgp2324 Harry chomps on a a gelato-on-a-stick imgp2327 A pigeon waits at Gate 9 for something to happen imgp2330 Harry walks around with a magazine imgp2332 Harry and Fred trundle off to explore the airport imgp2334 Slightly unusual and cool clouds over the UK imgp2339 A partial rainbow over Essex imgp2342 Stansted airport imgp2344 A Ruinair 737-800 retracts its front steps imgp2346 A car park for stretch limos only imgp2347 Harry looks a bit tired imgp2352 The next day, Nosher takes Harry for a spin imgp2362 Harry and Fred on the lawnmower imgp2366 Fred tries to put Harry's ear defenders on imgp2369 Daisies in the lawn imgp2379 Harry eats something imgp2384 Harry with a yorkshire pudding