Because my (Rob’s) cousin Caroline was getting married in Italy, we decided that it was a great excuse to see some parts of the country that we haven’t seen before. The first on the list was Pisa.
We were told that Pisa can be done in a day, and I’ll revise that to say it can be done in 3 hours. This is not to take anything away from the views of the Campo dei Miracoli, because it is quite stunning.
The Campo contains a lovely cathedral that was started in 1063 which has bronze doors created in the 16th century.
There is also a battistero, baptistery, that was started in 1153 and finished in 1260.
The the pisa de resistance (sorry couldn’t help myself…) is the Leaning Tower. This is actually called the campanile which Bonanno Pisano began in 1173.
The tower actually was suppose to be 7 layers high, however only 3 were built before it started tilting. Turns out the foundations weren’t solid, but instead were water-soaked clay. Construction was suspended for a century before work resumed. It was finally finished in the 14th century.
It current resides at a ‘stable’ lean of 5.5 degrees and the top is 4.1m off the perpendictular.
Admittedly we didn’t climb the Leaning Tower and didn’t go into the cathedral or baptistery. Perhaps if you did do those, you might be in Pisa longer than 3 hours.
Regardless, Pisa is still a must see!
Crazily enough I was just in Pisa at the end of April! I agree not much going on really but I did go up the tower which is pretty mental. The staircase is enclosed and artificially lit so your mind adjusts to think it’s a normal staircase, when of course it tilts in different directions as you go around. Kind of keep falling over!
That sounds like it would be pretty weird! Maybe next time we’re visiting a leaning tower or belfry, we’ll make effort to go up.
In other news, Cambridge airport has recently opened flights to Jersey! Might have to fly down and visit the Channel Islands and see where your Mrs is from.