David's Diary: Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Pisa Part I

We were up and out from the marina first thing this morning in order to catch the bus into Pisa. The bus route followed the River Arno upstream until we came to the outskirts of Pisa. We got off at the main bus station, but were at a bit of a loss as to where to go next. After studying our Lonely Planet guide to Italy we figured out how to proceed and walked a mile (1.5 kilometers) across the River Arno and through the streets of Pisa.

Duomo

From all the pictures we have seen of the Leaning Tower we imagined the tower to be isolated and the only thing to see in Pisa. What a surprise it was for us to suddenly come out on Camp dei Miracoli. This large square is home to the Leaning Tower, Duomo, Baptistery, and a large cemetery. Grass filled fields surround the buildings and the square is at least a kilometer in each direction.

Cathedral

The Leaning Tower (or Torre Pendente in Italian) is impressive, but the Duomo located less than thirty meters away is even more so. The Leaning Tower was constructed as a bell tower for the Duomo and it started leaning during construction. During the 1990's the tower was closed to visitors as engineers stabilized the structure. The Tower has recently been reopened, but limited numbers of people are allowed up each day. We skipped the trip up the tower to visit the Duomo. Its cool interior provided welcome relief from the heat and the paintings and sculptures provided relief for our eyes.