Today we took the train from Florence to Pisa to have a look at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This is only an hour’s train ride each direction (got to love having the Eurail passes) so we got up as usual. Our only question was if we needed to get a paper ticket before boarding the train or not. This is a regional train and we had been told previously that in such a case we only get on and show the conductor the pass. This is something we hoped was correct information and had thought about checking. Our time was really short so we asked the conductor who was standing outside the train thinking if we had to get tickets we would miss this train. He confirmed what we had been told earlier so on the train we hopped.
n the train we had a wonderful conversation with a retired couple from Melbourne. We shared travel stories and in particular they were interested in hearing about our travels in Australia. With this conversation the hour went so fast it was almost over before it started.
We got off the train in Pisa and figured out how to get through the narrow streets to the Pisa's Cathedral Square. We were amazed to note that the town of Pisa was completely enclosed with a wall. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its Leaning Tower (the bell tower of the city's cathedral), the city of over 88,332 residents (around 200,000 with the metropolitan area) contains more than 20 other historic churches, several palaces and various bridges across the River Arno. The city is also home of the University of Pisa, which has a history going back to the 12th century. Since we were only here for the tower we did not take any time to explore the other historical sights of the city.
The Piazza del Duomo ("Cathedral Square") is a wide, walled area at the heart of the city of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognized as one of the main centers for medieval art in the world. Partly paved and partly grassed, it is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Duomo (cathedral), the Campanile (the cathedral's free standing bell tower), the Baptistry and the Camposanto.
The heart of the Piazza del Duomo is, obviously, the Duomo, the medieval cathedral, entitled to Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary of the Assumption). This is a five-naved cathedral with a three-naved transept. The church is known also as the Primatial, the archbishop of Pisa being a Primate since 1092.
The Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, stands opposite the west end of the Duomo. The round Romanesque building was begun in the mid 12th century. It is the largest baptistery in Italy. Its circumference measures 107.25 m. Taking into account the statue of St. John the Baptist (attributed to Turino di Sano) on top of the dome, it is even a few centimetres higher than the Leaning Tower.
The Campo Santo, also known as camposanto monumentale ("monumental cemetery") or camposanto vecchio ("old cemetery"), lies at the northern edge of the Square. It is a walled cemetery, which many claim is the most beautiful cemetery in the world.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the low side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the high side. The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178. This was due to a mere three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning.
We enjoyed spending time trying to play with photographs like so many others pretending to hold up or push over the tower. Eventually we had an opportunity (for $15 Euro each) to climb to the top of the tower. As you can imagine the stairwell is very narrow and the marble steps have been worn smooth and indented. No one is allowed to take backpacks up the stairs and even camera cases are questioned. However, groups go up while groups come done and like the bell tower in Florence there are times when the going gets very tight, but still very doable.
The views from the top are stunning.
After we returned to earth and got the backpack back we decided it was time to head back to Florence. I really had thought that it would not be a long day again, but it was an hour’s train ride there, we were in Pisa wandering around for almost 3 hours and then one hour return by train. We seem to fill our days.
We got back to Florence and decided that before leaving the terminal we would get our reservations for the train to Venice tomorrow and also our reservations to go from Venice to Salzburg. Once we got this done it was almost 3 and time for lunch. We wanted to find a Laundromat to wash our cloths since we really were on the last of clean clothes so a quick lunch in the room, off to find a Laundromat and washing. We finished this by 5 so came back to the room to relax before going out for dinner.
Dinner tonight was at the DLF Self-Service. If you ever find yourself here in Florence we highly recommend this as the place to eat. The meal for both of us was extremely economical (less than $10 Euro total) and filling. Ok, time to relax for the evening. Soon we will need to take a vacation from our vacation since both of us are starting to feel foot sore and body tired. We are enjoying ourselves, but it has been steady going.
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