Rising early in the morning, we had a train to catch. I don’t care too much for driving in Europe so if we can take the train, that is what I would rather do. Italy is no exception. Don’t believe me? Try catching a cab in Italy and see how they drive. It’s madness. I’m not even going to try to navigate around a city/country I’ve never driven in or, for that matter, even been to. So up and early and off to the train station to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Departing Florence train station at 8:30 a.m., we had a nice ride through the countryside heading to the west coast of Italy. After only an hour on the train we pulled into the station in Pisa and disembarked. The only information that we had was the GPS and map on our cell phones and the taxi stand with taxis waiting for tourists just like us to hop off the train and be looking for an easy ride to the cathedral and tower. I think I made the decision to walk just to save some money and that it didn’t look to be that far. Maybe a nice 10 minute walk. Looking at the map I thought it was going to be an easy walk. I was wrong.
To my wife who will be reading this soon to edit, yes, yes I was wrong. Not only because it was a long walk and bit on the uphill side, but we didn’t have umbrellas and we were not prepared for what was ahead. I am sure she wanted to hurt me that day.
Knowing that the river Arno was pretty close to the halfway point we kept walking. Finally making it to our halfway marker we decided to take a little break. Crossing the Arno river is a great place to have a photo opportunity. We were able to get a few great shots to add to our collection. On one side of the river sits an odd looking building. I’ve heard in Europe that they like to hide some of their utilities, so I thought that maybe this was a pump house or something of that sort. It was sitting so close to the river that they actually bent the road around it. Lo and behold it was an actual church. We were not able to get in and take a look but it’s definitely worth checking out if we ever go back.
On the other side of the river loomed a tower above all buildings along the bank of the Arno. The Guelph Tower, or Tower Guelph, fashioned like many of the medieval towers throughout Italy, this one had a different purpose then those guarding the city centers. This tower sits on the bank of the Arno River with an impressive view to see who is traveling up the river coming from the sea. There is a maritime museum that we didn’t know about that I would definitely like to hit up next time we travel to Pisa. As we were heavily focused on getting to the leaning tower we were passing up many small opportunities. That is more of a reason to come back again.
Down the road we went there really wasn’t much in the way to let us know that we were heading in the right direction. Every once in a while a local would come out of some ally somewhere and walk in front or to the side of us. The closer we got the more people started to join us in our pilgrimage to the leaning tower. And then we opened up into a clearing and there it was. the Baptistry, the Duomo and most of all the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The best thing is we were some of the first tourists to be there. We had free roam for about 30 minutes.
We headed straight towards the leaning tower. It was magnificent. Here we were in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Something that I had only dreamt of as a child. I had seen pictures of this magnificent structure all throughout my childhood. From textbooks to television and magazines. We finally made it. I was grinning ear to ear. I was so happy but we were wet and I was in so much pain.
I’ve heard and read so many travel people always talk about making sure you have the right kind of shoes. Well, I thought I had. I brought some hiking boots that I thought would be comfortable. They were not and I was starting to pay the price. This would affect me for the next few days.
We both had tickets to climb the leaning tower but, after our first day in Florence climbing the Duomo dome, both of us opted to not climb the tower and give our legs a rest. A decision I still regret to this day but I am sure that that was the right decision overall. I wish I had been feeling better and had done the climb. I hope that if you, the reader, ever get a chance to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa that you just do it. I would hate for you to head home just wishing you had done it but didn’t.
There are a few things that I’ve experienced in my life that I was not prepared for. I don’t mean as far as climbing the tower, but the enormous size of the tower itself. The radiance that bounced off of all that white marble, the degree at which the structure is leaning was such a tremendous sight to see. I’ve seen many pictures and videos of the tower but until I was there that day standing directly underneath it I had never realized how much of an architectural feat it must have been to build it. And to now be gazing upon such an iconic historical structure I got a little teary eyed.
By this time people started showing up and the place was starting to get a bit crowded. We found a little gift shop in the north east corner of the complex. Inside was a little more high end merchandise. Still cool to look at but nothing that we were looking for. We walked around the tower, snapped all the photos we could and then headed to a rare spot that tourists don’t really go to. Camposanto Monumentale di Pisa also known as the “monumental cemetery”.
The “cemetery” is absolutely amazing. It’s difficult for me to describe how this cemetery is laid out. When you look at it from the outside, you see what would appear to be a simplistic, long, white building with arches inlaid into the walls. There is a dome structure on the top of the right side of the building, making it look important. You don’t fully realize what the building holds until you go through the entrance and have your ticket scanned. When you walk in, it’s absolutely different from any other cemetery type structure I’ve ever seen. You have walls along the outer part of the corridor that showcase frescos. The inner ‘wall’ of the corridor is lined with open arches that have beautiful pillars and designs allowing the air to flow and make the space feel open and as if it is part of the courtyard that lies within the center. There are several open archways that lead out to the grassy courtyard area.
Legend has it that the dirt used to bury the dead was brought back from the Holy Land by one of the Archbishop of Pisa’s during the third crusade. You must have been very rich or one of the heads of the church back then to have been buried in this cemetery. On the walls were tremendous frescos that were in the process of being painstakingly restored. As you walk around you are able to see many sarcophagi and sculptures. Most unique to see was the legerstones that were on the floor as we walked around.
Surrounding the area is part of Pisa’s medieval walls. These walls were built to defend the city from invaders. A good portion of the wall still exists today. After years of restoration, you are able to purchase tickets to walk along the wall. The three kilometer walk takes you over the four main access gates to the city and allows for great views of towers and ramparts. We didn’t take advantage of this as we still had the baptistery and the Duomo to visit. Hopefully when we go back, there will be time to do this.
Unlike the baptistry in Florence, this one was much more simplistic. I think that is kind of the point. I think that the idea was to be reverent and to not out do the Duomo as the high point. The size of this baptistry does make it the largest in Italy. While it may seem simplistic, this allows for the acoustics to be exceptional. If you have the time while in Pisa, I definitely recommend visiting the baptistry.
The Duomo di Pisa is a short walk, straight from the entrance from the baptistry. There was a slight wait, but the line went quickly. When you are finally inside, I recommend stepping to the side or even just taking a seat to admire the nave. The ceiling is something to spend a few minutes taking it in. The columns on each side are made of granite from the Isle of Elba. As you walk along the side, there are many paintings to admire. When you get to the dome, you’ll see an amazing scene. Definitely take a few minutes to enjoy the art work. You will see many Byzantine influences throughout, which makes this cathedral stand out from the one in Florence or Milan.
After we finished with the Duomo, the sun was shining and the weather had improved. We took more photos and walked around the grounds a bit more before we were hit with the need to find something to eat. While searching for food, we came upon several booths selling the usual knickknacks and shopped a bit. Many of these booths are cash only, so make sure you have some Euros on hand. Also, don’t forget to haggle. Several of the vendors gave us deals since we were buying more than one thing.
With our purchases in hand, we went to find a place to eat. There were several restaurants nearby that were geared towards tourists. After browsing several menus, we found one that had a meal deal that included an appetizer, drink, and entrée for a decent price. The food was actually pretty good for the price and the fact that you can tell it is meant to lure in tourists.
Once we finished eating, we made our way back to the train station. There were a couple museums we didn’t do, but we hope to go back eventually. My feet were really starting to hurt from the shoes and I was looking forward to getting back to the apartment and resting after the early start we had. The walk back to the train station was better since it wasn’t raining. We were able to purchase a ticket and get on the next train leaving for Florence. The good thing about going to Pisa is the trains run pretty regularly throughout the day, so you don’t need to book in advance. This made us able to enjoy the time we spent in Pisa without having to worry about making it back to get on a scheduled train.
Once back in Florence while walking back to our apartment, my wife saw a shop that she had been wanting to stop in was open. The Via de’ Ginori 23r is a wonderful leather shop that is off the main path and close to our apartment. They sell handbags, jackets, belts and various accessories made from leather. The shopkeepers were very friendly and shared knowledge about the leather with us. One of the things my wife wanted to purchase while in Florence was a leather handbag, and she found one here. The prices here were much better than the shops we had visited in the higher traffic tourist areas.
We went back to the apartment to rest for a bit. After we spent some time relaxing and watching tv, we decided to head out and find something for dinner. We ended up heading to the Piazza del Mercato Centrale, the central market in Florence. While the ground floor with all the vendors was closed as they only operate in the morning, the first floor showcases a food hall. This was nice as we were able to pick from different cuisines and not have to worry about each other’s differing tastes. I had a bowl of ramen and a beer, while my wife enjoyed a pizza. The place was busy and finding a seat was a chore, but we managed and had a good dinner.
With full bellies, we headed back to our apartment for the night. We knew the next day was going to be another long and exciting adventure and we needed to get plenty of rest.
Sadly, we still did not have gelato.
