My Italy Diary: Pisa

We left Viareggio this morning and headed for Pisa—we had been told to skip Pisa on our last trip as “there’s nothing to see except the tower.” This couldn’t be more wrong, I only wish we’d planned more time there. We spent about four hours and managed to fit in the Baptistry, Duomo, Camposanto, and a long ascent up the Tower. The Baptistry of St. John is in such contrast to those we visited in Rome; very stark and minimally decorated. While we were inside, a young woman began to sing notes that reverberated to the top of the dome, the whole place just fell silent. It was so beautiful it actually gave me goose bumps.

The Duomo is splendid with smaller chapels lining each side and wonderful frescoes. Behind the pulpit is a wonderful mosaic which I’m sure my photos will not do justice; “Christ in Majesty” by Cimabue (c. 1302).

The funniest thing about Campo dei Miracoli is all the tourists (us excluded) taking snapshots of each other pretending to hold up the tower. Climbing the tower is certainly worth the effort as you won’t be disappointed once you reach the very top. You are offered panoramic views of all of Pisa, with the mountains and Tuscany as a backdrop. The closer you get to the top the more you “feel” the tilt of the tower. Going down was much easier.

The day was very gray with the threat of rain at any moment. It was also quite cool, but we were warmed by the exersion of climbing—and we are in relatively good shape. We wanted to make a quick visit to the Camposante before we hit the road and it was while we were here that the rain finally came. There are some lovingly restored frescoes here, which were largely destroyed during WWII. We didn’t really have time to see any more of Pisa, although it would have been great to explore the much overlooked city.

We managed to arrive in Firenza at 5:00pm; David was an excellent driver and between the two of us we managed to find the car rental agency to return the car. The apartment is just across the Arno River and I had planned that we would walk to it, but as it was raining we decided to hail a cab, but there were none to be had, so we wound up walking after all. By the time we got to the apartment we were soaked. And then there were four flights of stairs as there is no lift in the building! The young woman who met us at the apartment spoke wonderful English and graciously showed us around the apartment.

The apartment, “Anna,” is wonderful! It is small, but perfect for two. It has been beautifully appointed, with a small galley kitchen, a bed tucked into an alcove with curtains to draw for privacy, a great bathroom with a large walk-in shower, and a living/dining area; we are very happy with it. There are books and cds and even a connection for your iPod to the stereo/speaker system. There was a bottle of wine and a few other niceties waiting for us upon our arrival. We ate dinner at Angiolino’s, which was wonderful.