Today we travelled further east and crossed from Liguria into Tuscany passing this strange pinnacle and marble monument on one of the passes along the way.

We are stopping tonight at Equi Terme a mountain village which we previously visited in April 2012. Since our last visit over two and a half years ago the village appears to have suffered at least one serious flooding incident. The driveway up to the hotel is blocked with an earth bank presumably put there to temporarily protect the village below from further flooding pending the construction of more permanent flood defences.As you might expect the hotel is closed. Surely the flood was not high enough to deposit those white fabric? pieces in the trees!?

We saw this white heron in the river just below the bridge in the village.

As its name suggests Equi Terme has thermal springs - you can see them steaming away here.

This narrow street in the village leads to The Grotte which you have to pay to visit but which is currently closed for christmas decorating!

The Grotte is somewhere under this cliff - the rope you see going upwards is safeguarding the person putting the christmas lights up.