Day 16 (12-Sep-2008) Pisa

Yesterday’s amazing gathering of notable works of art would be hard to beat. We therefore decided to follow an entirely different tack and take the train to Pisa for a quick look at its most famous monument: The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

With another train yet again running with military precision we reached Pisa by 11:00 hrs. Following a quick dash through a town that by all appearance has nothing special to offer, we reached our intended destination. Having decided to visit 2 of the other monuments located there and climb the Leaning One we were scheduled to make our way to the top by 12:40 hrs. The visits to the Cemetery and Basilica proved very interesting, with the later testament to the equal stature and prominence of Pisa during the Renaissance period. If anything the interior of the Basilica is more spectacular than any of its counterparts in Florence.

The hike up helical staircase in The Tower was interesting for a number of reasons, not least the bizarre sensation experienced during each circumnavigation of rising, then veering sideways, and finally falling downhill, even though the steps were of equal size and motion was inexorably upwards. The architecture is of no particular significance, but the inventive structural mechanics devised to halt and partially reverse the tower’s inclination is truly fascinating. A detailed expose on the decade-long restoration work was published in a recent issue of National Geographic. And of course the view from the top down on to the roof of the Basilica, Pisa town and surrounding countryside is worthy of the effort getting there.

Following return back down we slowly sauntered our way back through Piza, via quick stop at street café, to the train station. We arrived just in time to catch a train back to Florence, which deposited us hot and bothered back to town by 15:00hrs. Following first siesta in a week batteries were charged for one final gastronomic extravaganza….