Travel to Pisa

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In the last post we traveled to Milan and today we will fly to Pisa (the town of the ancient trade).

Pisa lies on the mouth of Arno River between Genoa and Rome, about thirteen kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea. It is a serene and horizontal town and a well-known historic tourist destination in Tuscany.

It is a good idea to have a nice walk around Pisa and decide where you would like to live (speak to locals, if you can: more mosquitoes close to the river, better shopping close to Ponte di Mezzo, more quiet in the villages...etc!). Then, go to an 'agenzia' - there are lots of them in the centre, along the river Arno and in the little side streets off the Lungarni. If you are just arriving in Pisa, this will be the best (and probably only) option, but you will end up paying one month's rent as a commission. If you are prepared to wait a little (and stay in a B&B in the meantime), you can check out the ads in the local papers and at the notice boards in the university buildings (all over town). My advice, though, would be to go via an agenzia and save yourself the hassle.

The monuments of Pisa:

Pisa houses one of the most famous squares in the world comprising four gems - The Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Leaning Tower and the Monumental churchyard. Even a tourist passing through Pisa cannot but admire the wonderful works of architecture and sculpture.

The Baptistery dates back to the thirteenth century and is located behind the Cathedral. Different styles of architecture including the Romanesque and Gothic mix can be seen here. The Sansovino baptismal font in white marble which is the work of the great Nicola Pisano dating back to 1502 delights the tourists. The Baptistery is octagonal with a facade in white and green marble evoking the shape of the Holy Sepulcher.

The Cathedral is a typical Romanesque building dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The Cathedral looks simple with a decorated facade and a marble portico. The interior consists of three naves divided by granite columns. The masterpiece of Italian Gothic sculpture - the beautiful Giovanni Pisano pulpit is awesome.

The Monumental Churchyard has gathered the ancient sculptures, sepulchral monuments and works of art. This ‘Camposanto Monumentale’ of Pisa has progressively become one of the greatest and richest galleries of medieval paintings and sculpture. The great colonnade that opens out on an inner lawn with its great round arches draws the attention of tourists. The fine arches and lancet windows immensely add up to the attraction.

The Leaning Tower:

The Leaning Tower or simply the Tower of Pisa is the ‘campanile’ or a free standing bell tower of the cathedral in Pisa city. Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began to lean southeast soon after the onset of its construction in 1174 when layers of heavy marble were placed on a shifting subsoil foundation that has been the bane of Pisan engineers for more than eight hundred years.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

This beautiful building was originally designed as a bell tower for the cathedral, based on a project by Bonanno Pisano. It was completed during the 14th century. The tower weighs 14500 tonnes and its height is 55.86 m from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m on the highest side. The tower has 294 steps. The tower could be seen to lean at an angle of 5.5 degrees. This means the tower is 4.5 m from where it used to stand vertically.