Pisa’s Leaning Tower

Another quick train journey and we arrived at Pisa.  I was over the moon to discover that our very nice hotel was situated directly opposite the train station, so all we had to do was wheel our bags across the road.

I had been in two minds as to whether to include Pisa on our itinerary.  I have always wanted to see the famous tower, however, just about everyone that I had ever spoken to who had visited said that it was a disappointment. Michael and I discussed this and decided that we would see for ourselves and then, at the very least, we would have seen another nice Italian town.  We walked through the beautiful city streets until we came to the Piazza dei Miracoli and there was the tower.  I can only assume that the people who were disappointed have not seen the beautifully restored version because both Michael and I thought that it was amazing. The white marble is impressive and of course, the impossible lean is eye catching.  I would have loved to climb the 296 steps to the top however Michael ventured up there alone.  He said that the view was fabulous and he spent quite a while walking around the top of the tower.  He also said that he felt drunk on the descent, as the tower’s lean forces you to walk at a disorienting angle.  

In the centre of a small, quiet side road we found a lovely, quaint restaurant for our dinner – Triclinium Taverna Romana.  The chef seated us upon arrival and explained that we would have to wait for the waiter to arrive who would translate the menu for us.  The waiter duly arrived and we placed our orders.  The taverna was so small, that we could see everything that the chef did and it was very interesting watching the preparation and plating of our meals.  The food and wine were very good and we left feeling very happy with our choice of restaurant.

The following day we ventured once more to the Piazza dei Miracoli to visit the remaining places of interest.  We explored the lovely Romanesque Pisa Cathedral (Il Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta). It is a very beautiful cathedral and is said to be where Galileo formulated the theory of isochronism of the pendulum.  We also visited the Pisa Baptistery of St John, which was completed in 1363.  The interior is huge and is very plain and unadorned.  The interior is acoustically perfect, which was demonstrated by the attendant on duty, who sang a few notes that reverberated around the majestic cylinder. It really was quite lovely.  Our final stop was the Sinopie Museum, which is part of the Hospital of Santa Chiara.  The museum is dedicated to fresco preparatory drawings (sinopia), the majority of which came from the Camposanto in Pisa.  Bombs dropped during World War II caused a major fire, and to save the 14^thcentury frescos, it was decided to detach them from the walls and place them on panels.  It was during this procedure that many preparatory sketches were discovered.  It was all very interesting.

The rest of our day was spent wandering the ancient streets of Pisa.  We discovered a fabulous Keith Haring mural, Tuttomondo, one of the last he completed before his death.  It was in absolutely pristine condition, without the slightest trace of vandalism (unlike the Melbourne one).  There is a lovely café/bar situated directly opposite and it was the perfect vantage point to sit and admire the work.

Dinner that evening was at a family restaurant where the owner took a real shine to Michael.  He complimented Michael on the colour of his face and insisted that he would make something special for his dessert.  Then, as if that wasn’t enough, when it came time to pay the bill, he opened another bottle of wine and demanded that we each have glass.  It was a fun evening and the food was fantastic.

Return to Florence

To the train station once more for another journey, this time to Florence.  We were both absolutely thrilled to be back again and the weather put on a glorious show – 23 degrees and sunshine.  We were staying at the same apartment that we stayed on our last visit, as we loved the central location and the view over the Piazza della Repubblica.  Unfortunately, when we rolled our suitcases to the piazza, we discovered that it is now part of an enormous archaeological dig.  The ancient Roman colony Florentia was rediscovered when resurfacing works were taking place in the square.  Still, it was pretty thrilling that we had a bird’s eye view of the dig from our apartment window.

We lost no time in returning to our favourite food market, Mercato Centrale, where we pulled up a stool and enjoyed the freshest and finest food and wine on offer.  It was good to be back.  The afternoon was spent reacquainting ourselves with the beautiful city, which was already starting to receive an influx of tourists.

The main purpose of our Italian trip was to surprise our son James on the occasion of his 30^thbirthday.  James’ partner Amber was in on our plan and we had arranged that we would be seated at Olio & Convivium Restaurant before James and Amber arrived.  The Maitre d’ showed us to our table and neither Michael nor I thought to tell him that our presence was to be a surprise. James and Amber arrived a short time later and the Maitre d’ proudly told Amber that her parents were already seated at the table.  This confused James and he turned to Amber who assured both him and the Maitre d’ that there was a mistake and to take them through to their table.  He asserted that there was no mistake and Amber was trying to catch his eye to let him know not to press the point.  Finally they were escorted through to where we were waiting and I really don’t think that James could have pretended his surprise – he looked utterly confused!  Hugs and laughter all round and then we settled in for a wonderful evening, catching up on each other’s news.  They had both recently returned from travels to Egypt and Israel and it was great hearing of their adventures (there are now another 2 countries added to my wish list). The food and wine was excellent and I would recommend the restaurant to anyone.

The following day was James’ actual birthday and Michael thought that it would be a good opportunity for James to “get a bit of culture”.  We had discovered that on James’ previous trip to Florence, he had somehow missed seeing Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus (which horrified Michael) and Michelangelo’s The Statue of David (which horrified me).  We whisked both Amber and James to the Uffizi Gallery, where first we hired a wheelchair for Amber, as she is still in a moon boot from her accident earlier in the year.  Then, with James in the driver’s seat, we set about seeing as many of the artworks as possible, including the Birth of Venus.  I am not sure that James was as enamoured with the painting as Michael, but at least now he can say that he has seen it.  We spent the morning at the gallery before finding a restaurant for rest and refreshments.


 
Then, it was onwards to the Galleria dell’Accademia to view The Statue of David. It was just as magnificent as I remembered.  I hope that James enjoyed the statue (he said he did).  

There is only so much culture that you can fit into one day so we all returned to our apartment, via the leather market and had a look at the handbags, wallets and belts along the way. Amber showcased her haggling skills and purchased a couple of handbags, and Michael bought very nice bottle of red wine at the main market. We arrived back at our apartment, opened the wine and then James was finally able to open his birthday presents.  It was good to relax before heading out for our evening meal.
 

We stopped along the way so that Amber and James could put a coin in Il Porcellino’s mouth and rub his snout. Amber had booked a lovely restaurant for dinner, Culinaria Bistro.  James and Amber had dined there on their previous Florence visit, and the bistro specialises in farm to table dining.  Once again the food and wine was delicious and it was a lovely way to finish our time together.  James and Amber were driving to Bologna the following day from where they were flying home. Well, James didn’t have the birthday he expected however I hope that he had a memorable time.