Tuscany to Amalfi Italy is a photographer's dream, foodie's culinary delight and an Artist inspiration .  Venice is beautiful with 118 small islands separated by canals and bridges it is the easiest place to get lost in and that's part of the adventure.  The most common Venetian dish is polenta cooked various ways.   In San Gimignano the food was quintessentially Tuscan-Sienese, simple made with fresh ingredients, locally produced and traditional peasant foods like  the "leftovers" soup made from day old bread and vegetables.  Continue down the coast to Amalfi where seafood is abundant and the landscapes is covered with  emon trees growing in cliff edge terrace gardens.  This world famous "limoncello and delizie al limone" is made.  You must treat yourself to "scialatielli ai fruitti di mare" a typical Amalfi dish of seafood such as shrimps, redfish, pezzogne, bream, sea urchins, molluscs and octopus.  Here are a few highlights on our journey.

SUNRISE FISHING
The Amalfi Coast in Italy is a dramatic coastline rich in little bays and beaches.  Positano built vertically on the face of a cliff and one of Italy’s most romantic vacation spots.  Originally the locals were poor fishermen but changed when it began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 50s especially after Harper's Bazaar writer John Steinbeck wrote a story about the area.  There are still fishermen working in the area who are famous for their secret method of catching squid which has been handed down tradition through the generations.  In September there is a special town festival completely dedicated to fish.  It takes place on the Fornillo beach involving all the local population.  Restaurants cook fish and distribute on the beach delicious dishes like fried fish, squid and potatoes, swordfish and other traditional dishes strictly based on fish. 

TUSCANY GOATHERD
Cheese is among the important products of Italy and Tuscany.  The main ingredient of cheese is milk and different kinds of milk yield a very different kind of cheese.  There are five large families of Tuscan cheese:  “goat cheese” from goat milk,”percorino” from sheep milk, “raviggiolo” from cow or sheep milk, “riccotta” from sheep, cow or goat milk and “caciotta” from cow milk.  These goats are farmed for their milk for cheese making.

BAR DUOMO PISA
The climb to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is 296 steps.  A necessary hike to capture Pisa’s Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo).  The height of the tower is 55.86mm (183.27ft) from the ground and the tilt is due to inadequate foundation in the soft ground on one side causing a horizontal tilt of approx 3.9 meters from a vertical position. The lean is very slippery in wet weather and many tourists miss the opportunity to see Pisa from the approx 900 year old tower.  When we reached the top of the tower it started to sprinkle, fortunately we were permitted outside.  Edging my way to the low safety fence I saw Bar Duomo and many customers checking maps, drinking, talking and eating.  There was a bell tower in my way which meant I had to lean as far over the side, held by a very anxious husband behind me to capture this aerial view. 

TUSCANY TOWERS
San Gimignano, Tuscany Italy originally boasted 72 towers and today 14 towers remain.
In order to photograph the Tuscany Towers, (built 1311) I walked up several staircase with photography backpack,  camera and 5 lens and experienced a short claustrophobic moment edging my way up the last spiral staircase and 10 ladder rungs to reach the top.

The Tower and House Towers are stunning architectural structures that originally belonged to a merchant and financial aristocrat, who competed with one another through their massive buildings to rise above all the others.

Once on top, the view is spectacular with 360 degree view of the San Gimignano countryside.  To my surprise looking through my lens I noticed two people drinking wines and enjoying their dinner on the top of a privately owned tower.  The actual height of the tower is 54 meters (177 feet) high.

VERNACCIA di SAN GIMIGNANO
Tuscany is home to some of the most notable wines like Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and  grapes grown in San Gimignon the Veraccia grapes are  are planted in sandstone based vineyards producing rare wines. Vernacci is a white Italian wine and produced in and around the hill town of San Gimignano.  It has been considered one of Italy's finest white wines dating about to Renaissance times.    There are 201 producers of Vernaccia di San Gimignao with a total output of about 5.5 million bottles annually. 

The Vernacci wine was the first Italian wines to be awarded the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status in 1966.  Then in 1993 this wine received the highest level of Italian wine appellations, Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG).  (Appellation is the geographical indication used to indentity where grapes for wine are grown)

THE WINE MERCHANT in VENICE
Thanks to the noble Venetian people  and to their richness, in the area around the river Piave the first Italian specialized vineyards were planted. This new way of making viticulture and oenology gave a deep impulse to development of culture and art of wine making in Italy.  No trip to Italy would be complete without an opportunity to sample some of the best wines in the world and learn their age-old production techniques. Italy produces some very fine wines and Veneto is the place where wine is 'Tradition'.

Veneto is among the foremost wine-producing regions, both for quality and quantity.  The region has a variety of wines, both dry and Spumanti. The narrow streets “calli” and maze of waterway, “canals” requires wine, bread and other products to be delivered by cargo boats.  Apart from the car parks by the mainland bridge, and a private port area, all transport in Venice is by boat.