Pisa

After our morning visit to Florence we met our fellow travelers and driver and headed to Pisa.

Upon arriving in Pisa, we found there was a soccer tournament and all access routes to the square called the Field of Miracles where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located were closed. We were so blessed to have an Italian driver at this point. He was able to press and negotiate with the police officers manning several road blocks and got us through to the square.

Our first glimpse of the tower was amazing. We both thought, I knew it "leaned," but it really leans a lot! Unlike Florence, the square itself is not suffocated by the surrounding buildings. It stands apart and independent from all the other buildings surrounding it, in a beautiful contrast between the green grass and the white marble. I would like to go back sometime and walk around the square at night. I’m certain it would be truly beautiful.

Besides the beauty of the buildings in the square: the Duomo, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Camposanto (the cemetery), and the most famous bell tower in the world, that is, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the history of the square is interesting in itself.

The square is situated right by the oldest early medieval city walls, built in 1155 and perfectly preserved. The walls and the Gate, called Porta Nova, are really beautiful, even though they often go unnoticed because of the famous tower nearby.

It took decades to build these buildings. This seems pretty obvious given their magnificence. However, it is interesting to note that not even the change of artistic taste from Romanesque to Gothic affects the overall beauty of the site.

I’m certain it would be lovely to go inside all of the buildings at this sight and see some of the other sights around Pisa, but we got to see what we really wanted to see–the Leaning Tower.

Before our trip there, Rick said he wanted to do one of those pictures where it looks like you’re holding up the tower. I guess he’d seen it on the internet, TV, or something. When we got there, he was surprised to see that everyone was taking their turn holding up the tower. So, of course, we took our turn. Rick really had fun holding the tower up and I had fun taking pictures of all the others holding the tower up. Look at our pictures closely, don’t some of these people look ridiculous when the camera is not at the "correct" angle.

Well, after completing our duty and holding the tower (Rick took several turns), we rejoined our group and enjoyed a quick nap in the taxi on the trip back to the port. Gratefully, we arrived before it sailed and Hank was not orphaned for the night.

The Pisa photo album includes a few pictures of the Tuscan countryside and departure pictures at dusk from the Livorno port. Hope you enjoy!

Ciao