21 Sept - Are the tourists leaning or is it the tower?

OMG, you have never witnessed anything more hysterical than the sight of the virtual circus around the leaning tower of Pisa. Hoardes crowd in to stand on short pillars in the towers foreground and strike a pose capturing its exact 3.99 degree tilt. Spontaneous photo shoots erupt everywhere with rookie photographers belting out commands: "drop that hand 5 cm, chin left, more bend." What would aliens think if they were to tune in to this scene of collective kung-fu poses and conclude this is what the human race is all about?!!

Apparently the original architect made a booboo when he conceived of a mere 3 metres of foundation for what was meant to be a bell tower. Add to that the instability of the soil underneath and what you get is a perfect storm for a lean right off the bat. The builders tried compensating with more weight on the upper floors but guess what? The lean shifted in the other direction. Imagine yourself as one of the builders. You show up for work one morning: "Wasn't that...I thought...The lean, wasn't it...??" Kinda like Marty Feldman's ever-shifting Quasimodo hump in Young Frankenstein. Had it been me, I would've decreed off with the architects head...but thats just my Queen of Hearts shining through.

Over the years, a number of brilliant minds have tackled the problem. From the original 5 degree tilt, the tower grew dangerously top-heavy so it was closed to the public for a good decade. In 2001, a feat of engineering saw it re-open at its current 3.99 degree lean. As the pinnacle of Pisas economy and a world landmark, I doubt they'd venture to completely right it even if they could.

A few modes of transport later, I was in Volterra. If you like Montepulciano, then Volterra will also tickle your fancy. The fortified town dates back to the 11th Century and it shows. They've been careful about using the old methods of masonry for repairs so everything looks just as youd imagine it a thousand years ago...minus the Monty Python jaberwock of course.

Had a case of itchy feet so wasted little time and set out walking. The Volterra tourist office kindly pointed me in the direction of a couple of good walking-cycling trails so off I went through the mountains.

Here I sit now, snug as a bug in a rug in my tent somewhere halfway to San Gimignano. No sign of rain in sight, the sound of crickets and crop cannons all around and a tasty pecorino salami panini. What could be better? Well a beer couldn't have hurt but I won't press my luck!