Pisa, Tuscany, Italy 12/2013
With our water leak fixed and the assurance we would have a warm Christmas with hot water, we headed east and crossed into Italy. Our first stop was the famous town Pisa, which much to Monika’s annoyance I continued to call it Pizza.
Certainly on the short list of things we had to see in Italy was the famous leaning Tower of Pisa, actually called Torre Pendente. Having been duly warned by other travelers of the dangers in Italian cities like Pisa & Rome, we found a comfortable secure campsite within walking distance of town and spent the next day wandering around through the Cathedral, the Baptistery and of course, the Bell Tower itself. Thinking we may never come this way again, we did climb to the top of the tower on the narrow spiral stairway, not a place for anyone afraid of heights or claustrophobia. The sensation was weird since the angle of the stairs had changed so dramatically that within every few steps we seemed to touch either the outside or inside wall depending on which side of the leaning tower we were on. Extensive restoration has been done to assure that this amazingly strange piece of history will remain at its precarious tilt for many years.
Resisting the temptation to have pizza for dinner, we stopped at the cozy Bar & Food 62 for a caffe latte and a slice of a local pie, content that we had seen what we came to see in Pisa.
The Tower of Pisa has been stabilized. Gary hasn’t.
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- Monika in her constant desire to stabilize things makes a futile effort to straighten the leaning Tower of Pisa.
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- Sculptures surrounding the main plaza of Pisa were marvelous.
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- Climbing the narrow marble steps of the Tower of Pisa was weird because they were originally level but the angle changed dramatically as you followed the spiral upwards.
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- The majestic Cathedral of Pisa became a model for Romanesque churches through Tuscany.
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- The view from the top of the leaning tower, the cathedral’s bell tower, was worth the climb.
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- The unusual round Baptistery in front of the Cathedral was equally impressive.
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- Looking from the upper balcony onto the ground level in the Baptistery.
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- The interior of the Cathedral was magnificent.
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- Strange details found on the Bell Tower. We can only wonder what the symbolism was.
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- The city wall of Pisa was still partially intact.
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- We were amazed that Gualtiero, the owner of the Bar & Food 62, knew of California’s small town of Yuba City near our home base. Turned out, he had seen a TV special on duck hunting in that area!
With our water leak fixed and the assurance we would have a warm Christmas with hot water, we headed east and… http://t.co/zmK5KAe0Oe