I went to Pisa with my grown up daughter as she wanted to spend a few days sightseeing in and around Pisa. As we landed at a convenient time for the owner of Il Mattino to pick us up from the airport, we arrived at the B&B within half an hour of landing. Il Mattino is thirty minutes walk from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Il Campo dei Miracoli and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. We decided to head off straight away in that direction, stopping for a delightful rustic pasta at a small restaurant Monica had recommended, which specialised in typical Tuscan dishes. An hour later we were walking up the alabaster steps to the top of the tower and were rewarded with stunning views in the late afternoon sun over the city on one side and the mountains on the other.
Il Mattino is a peaceful house with terracotta tiled floors, large windows, antique furniture and elegant fabrics. There are seven ensuite guest rooms and we had a twin room overlooking the garden at the back. Breakfast was taken outside on the garden terrace. Freshly baked organic cakes and savoury quiches were served as part of the buffet breakfast along with several local cheeses, breads, fresh fruit, yogurt, fruit juices and coffee. It's less than ten minutes walk from the B&B to the banks of the River Arno and another five or so to the bridge, which divides the main shopping and restaurant areas north and south of the river. The railway station is another fifteen minutes walk, from where we got a train south to Livorno one day and north to Viareggio another – both about twenty minutes away. The walled town of Lucca is half an hour away by bus and a lovely day trip with lots to see and plenty of good restaurants to choose from for lunch.
On our last day we went to Florence, which was an hour's train journey, and spent a couple of hours pottering round the area between The Duomo and Ponte Vecchio after taking the tour bus around the city and stopping off for lunch in the pretty hill town of Fiesole. Il Mattino is well placed to enjoy a short break in Pisa without a car and Monica was always there to answer our questions and help with bus and train times. On our last afternoon she kindly drove us back to the airport. Highly recommended.
