Leaning Tower of Pisa and Pisa, Italy

“A well-ordered life is like climbing a tower; the view halfway up is better than the view from the base, and it steadily becomes finer as the horizon expands.”

William Lyon Phelps

Our first stop on the Queen Victoria on the Cunard Cruise Line was the Port at Livorno, Italy. We decided to make our day not as hectic as some of our group by only doing Pisa. Many in our group did the Florence and Pisa trip but I wanted to be able to spend a full day in Pisa to get the most out of this city. Pisa is a city in Tuscany Italy and is located in the north west section of the country. The small city has a population of about 91,104 residents and is on the Arno River which empties into the Ligurian Sea.

When we got off the ship in Livorno, we got a cab to the train station. We bought our ticket and got on the train to Pisa. In Europe when it says the train leaves at 9:05, believe it. There train service is very efficient. It was a quick ride about 20 minutes and when we got off the train we just followed the crowds which led us right to Piazza dei Miracoli or Cathedral Square which is walled and about 22 acres. As we were walking we notice all the business people hustling by to get to work all dress up. What a lovely busy city.

As we walked to where the Leaning Tower of Pisa was it was just so surreal. After all these years of seeing it in pictures and after researching our trip, it was just unreal to see it. We had booked our ticket to be able to climb the tower weeks earlier which guarantees you to be able to get in the tower at a certain time.

The tower was built in stages. It was started on August 14, 1173. It began sinking in 1178 because the ground was soft on one side which they noticed after they only built two floors. Construction was stopped for nearly a century because of battles with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence. In 1272, they started building again and tried to compensate for the tilt by building the top levels taller on one side. The 7^th floor was completed in 1319. Then the bell tower was added in 1372 with seven bells – one for each note of the major scale. The last bell was installed in 1605. It took 344 years to complete this project. In recent times – 1990 to 2001 they did some structural strengthening to make sure the tower wouldn't collapse. The straightened the tower from being at at 5.5 degree lean to 3.99 degrees off straight. The tower was built as a bell tower for the Pisa Cathedral. and stands 183.27 feet tall.

We noticed while waiting to get in, that the security is very tight here and there was armed guard outside the tower guarding the entrance. The tower is built of white marble and has incredible details. When we got in, we walked up the 300 steps to the top. The steps are well worn by all he people who have walked to the top. It was so worth it as the views were incredible. You really felt the lean when you got to the top which messes with your equilibrium just a bit.

We also went to see the Pisa Cathedral which is right next door and a good example of Romanesque Architecture. Construction began in 1063 and was erected outside Pisa's medieval walls to show that Pisa had no fear of being attacked. It was consecrated in 1118. During the 12^th century the cathedral was enlarged increasing the length. How the structure appears today is from many restoration projects.

The outside of Pisa Cathedral is made from multicolored marble, mosaic, and numerous bronze objects and is just beautiful. What an amazing site it is when you walk inside and look up at the ceiling that is so detailed with gold designs and patterns. There are beautiful granite pillars down both sides of the naive.

The pulpit is so detailed and made by Giovanni Pisano between 1302-1310. The cathedral did suffer  a fire in 1595 in which the roof had to be replaced but the pulpit did survive. It was taken apart when the restoration was in progress and not reassembled until 1926. This is amazing to see and the longer you look at it the more details come to life.

The cathedral is sinking just like the bell tower. My, the details of this place and the art work are extraordinary. It is hard to imagine all the time and work it took to make this cathedral as spectacular as it is. Joe and I were in awe of its majesty.

Pisa Baptistery of St. John was constructed in 1152 to replace an older baptistery and was completed in 1363. This is the largest baptistery in Italy and is 54.86 m high with a diameter of 34.13 m. The lower section is a great example of the Romanesque style with the upper section more the Gothic style and is built of marble. The baptistery also leans 0.6 degrees toward the cathedral. A baptistry is always a separate building that is built around a baptismal font. The outside architecture was very beautiful and detailed but when you went inside it was pretty plain.

Another amazing thing to see here is the Fallen Angel which is a large statue that was created by Polish artist, Igor Mitoraj. This is an amazing piece to see.

After we saw all we could see in this area, we walked through the store lined winding narrow streets and found a delicatessen that served some pretty interesting sandwiches filled with lots of different meats we had never seen before. Joe loved it but I was only half way on board with it. We shopped some and strolled around town. Before we left Pisa, we went to a street side restaurant with outside seating and got a lovely pizza and a refreshing drink and sat outside watching the crowds pass. We will miss this city.  We also bought a nice bottle of wine to enjoy on the ship when we got back. Cunard was great allowing us to bring back a local bottle of wine to enjoy on the ship.

After we ate, we headed back to the train station and headed back to the ship. What an amazing day. We loved this town. Come with us to our next stop,  Monte Carlo, Monaco.