22nd Battalion 2NZEF

"Vrai et Fort"

WEEK 2

DAY 11 Tuesday 31 May 2005

Certaldo

We boarded the bus at 0915 for the trip to Bologna. Traffic on the A14 autostrada was slow due to roadworks and a crash. From Bologna we headed south into the hills on the A1 towards Firenze (Florence) then further south into Tuscany.

The road through the mountains

A village nestled in the mountains

A few miles further south of Florence is the village of Certaldo. This village had been one of the rural towns liberated by the New Zealand troops and they wished to recognise that event.

At Certaldo we crowded into the cable car (funicular) for the short ride to the old castle and church on the top. There we assembled at 1615 in the council meeting room built in the restored church, were greeted by a Councillor and exchanged gifts. Again Haddon Donald was called upon to reply to the speaker.

(More info on the official Certaldo website....)

Looking down on Certaldo from the top of the cable car	More views of the modern town of Certaldo	Beyond the old town
The ridge crest on which the old castle stands	Looking up the hill to the Castle	Walking up the Via from the cable car to the Castle
Our group with one of the local guides	High walls and flower boxes on houses	The wall of the castle adorned with the arms of past rulers
Part of a wall	Assembled inside the Council room	Haddon exchanging gifts with the Council

Montecatini Terme

From Certaldo we headed straight to our hotel at Montecacini Terme, a spa resort town west of Florence, arriving at 1925 and seated for dinner at 2000. The town is high above the plains of Florence and gave us a cooler night and welcome sleep.

The entrance to our hotel

A view of the rooms

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Last updated: 04/12/2016