Reaching the end of my Italian Adventure takes me away from Lucca and I’m off to finish up this life-changing journey with the one and only Leaning Tower of Pisa. I smile recalling my first view of Lucca was a sign about Fido, and as I leave , my last look is, well, take a look.

Ole' Faithful says arrivederci to me as I leave the Lucca Train Station bound for Pisa.

On the way to Pisa I need to stop off at my daughter’s place in Florence to pick up the rest of my luggage. At the moment I’m still traipsing around with only my backpack, and since I’ll be flying home from Pisa, I’ll need all my suitcases.

I’m an expert now with trains and buses, so, upon arrival in Florence I grab a bus to Krosbie and Paolo’s apartment, and on the short walk from the bus stop to their apartment I hear a sweet sound.

Another hop, skip and a jump on a bus and train, and voilá, I’m in Pisa, Italy!

Pisa Centrale, the main Train Station

The Hotel I’m staying at is only a few hundred yards away from the Leaning Tower and located in an area called the Field of Dreams. So I jump on another bus (schlepping ALL my luggage, oy!) and am dropped off at the entrance.

The Grand Entrance to the Field of Dreams.

My first look at, well, you’ll see . . .

Before I venture out to see the sights I want to check into my hotel room and drop off my baggage. But on the way I get to quench my thirst at a local tradition.

Good ole’ Rick Steves turned me onto Pensione Helvetia, just down the street from the Tower.

Pensione Helvetia. My room is on the 4th floor.

Let’s go inside.

All right, I can’t wait. Let’s go!

And this Lady obviously didn’t trust the recent construction reinforcement.

Can she do it? NEVER underestimate the power of a woman!

Let’s check out some architectural details of the Tower.

Pretty spectacular, huh?

I’ve been spending all this time looking up that it was time to start looking down.  And when I did I saw a shocking sight. It was my flat, empty stomach! So let’s eat.

I want to look for someplace that’s off the beaten path, and while strolling and using my antenna (can you guess?) to locate something yummy, I smell myself right into this amazing wall of jasmine.

I have never seen such a full cluster of these delicate flowers.

A little further down the street my eyes nose stops me.

Cibitalia. Loosely translated means a place to feed. A place to feed ME.

The Sweetest Lady who owned this sidewalk café off the beaten path. She was SO excited to have a customer, and I was ravenously accommodating!

Homemade deliciousness. She was very proud of her pasta salad.

I'm one Happy Guy!

Let’s go take a walk and see some back roads of Pisa.

Strolling just outside the walls of the Field of Dreams (where the Leaning Tower is located) I come across a very "green" auto machine.

I really want to see a local home in the “suburbs”, and I find a real quaint one.

Just a cute little house in the suburbs of Pisa. But what caught my eye was what you'll see next.

Children. So precious.

And now it’s time to walk back to my hotel, take a little nap and then freshen up to get ready for dining late in Pisa. I’ve been totally converted and I’ll wait until around 10 o’clock tonight to enjoy my meal. Ah, the life of an Italian!

And here’s what I find.

Just down the street from where I had lunch today is a local funky designed Ristorante called The Wall. It was definitely warm enough to eat outside.

Pasta, of course. Insalata Mista after dinner. Of course. I'm a full-fledged Italian now.

Join me for a you-have-to-be-there moment at my dinner.

It’s now about 1 in the morning. I’m not ready to go bed so I start walking. And walking. And walking. All the way to the other side of Pisa, only to arrive at the most ultimately perfect scene for my final night.

I really didn't know where I'd end up. And then I found myself here. I slowly walked to the center of the bridge over the Arno River and just stared. Endlessly. I wanted to take in everything. Get lost in the moment. It was the culmination of a dream far beyond what I had ever expected. And I couldn't leave. I just couldn't leave.

I awakened early the next morning to capture my very last sounds of Italy.

This trip was the greatest gift I could have ever given myself during this part of my life. It gave me a whole new perspective of how to ease up on the rat-race of the American Dream. My observation of the Italian people is that they enjoy conversation, family, food and work to the fullest, living a balanced life.

My wife, Patty and I own Nurture My Body, an online Boutique of Organic Beauty Products. And now, our pace is a little different than it used to be. We take the time to have lunch together. We go out and enjoy our farm animals in the middle of the day.

And quite effortlessly we still get all the work done. Our customers never suffer. We keep our promises.

The difference is that now, when a harried and crazy “American” moment overtakes me, I remind myself silently, “Hey Rich, remember Italy?” Then I take a breath, relax, and think of the Arno River.

I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to allow me to share my wondrous adventure to Italy. If you missed any of the towns I visited click on Italy Adventure and change your life.

Ciao for now.

Tags: Arno River, Cibitalia, Field of Dreams, Hotel Helvetia, insalata mista, Italian children, Italy, Leaning Tower of Pisa, nurture my body, Organic Beauty Products, outside cafe, pasta, Pensione Helvetia, Pisa, Pisa Centrale, Rick Steves, sidewalk cafe, The Wall Ristorante

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