PISA
Our last day in Tuscany was reserved for a visit to the most famous place, Pisa. Although it was early in the morning, after a 2-hour drive from our hotel Laticastelli Country Relais, we arrived at an already crowded parking lot in the immediate vicinity of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The city of Pisa contains more than twenty other historic churches, several medieval palaces, and bridges over the Arno River. However, during this time we only had time to visit the beauty of the historic Piazza Della Duomo (Cathedral Square) in Pisa. After passing through a multitude of small souvenir stands, we came across the huge entrance to this incredible historical site.
The Cathedral Square includes Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Cathedral, the Baptistery and Campo Santo.
Since we could only spare a couple of hours for the visit, we bought tickets for the tower and the cathedral online and that was easier because the lines were huge and already in the morning you could see crowds at the entrance, so this is the best option to save the time.
We first headed to the tower, but upon entering you should be aware that you are not allowed to bring any bags, wallets or carry-on luggage, but you are able to have the phone and camera instead. There is a storage room on the side where the friendly staff will guide you to safely leave your belongings while you tour the tower (this is limited to the Leaning Tower only).
Tower of Pisa is one of the most visited attractions in Italy, and one of the amazing architectural inspirations in the world. This 58,36 meters tower has begun to lean during the construction in 12th century due to soft ground. However, the tower was closed for the visitors from 1993. due to reconstruction and stabilization purposes, and later in 2001. it was reopened for tourists and was declared stable for at least another 200 years.
The feeling is strange when you walk up the stairs because you feel like you are leaning to one side, but when you reach the very top of the tower, the view is panoramic, and you can walk around the entire area and take a break by the bell (like we did). There are seven bells, one for each note of the musical major scale.
Once we left the tower and took our stuff from the locker room, we headed to the Cathedral. Since you could see the white scarf around me, I was informed to buy the scarf or any other cloth and cover shoulders before going to the Cathedral in advance. To be honest, due to distraction by gathering things when we got out of the hotel room and extremely hot temperatures, I forgot and missed this essential rule and was grateful that I could make it up on the place.
Pisa Cathedral is medieval Catholic Cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and one of the oldies of the three structures in the plaza.
The cathedral has a Romanesque style of architecture and was completed in 1092. However, the roof was replaced in 1595 due to fire damage. The exterior is made up of multi-colored marble, mosaics and bronzes, while the interior has a 17th-century wooden cella decorated with gold leaf. In the apse is the famous large mosaic of Christ on the throne with the Virgin Mary and Saint John, while the pulpit on the left is a masterpiece by Giovanni Pisano and the gently curved panels are sculpted expressing episodes from the life of Christ. The paintings covering the galleries behind the main altar, made by Tuscan artists, depict stories from the Old Testament and stories from the life of Christ.
The Pisa Baptistery of St. John was designed by Diotisalvi, whose signature can be read on two pillars inside the building, with the date 1153. At the same time this is the largest baptistery in Italy and this is an example of the transition from the Romanesque to Gothic style. The interior has the octagonal font and in center of the font is the bronze sculpture of St. John the Baptist. Overall, the interior is very simple and lacks the decoration.
The Campo Santo or monumental cemetery is located on the northern edge of the Cathedral Square. The building was made as the latest structure in the Cathedral Square. It has two doorways and the outer wall is composed of 43 blind arches. This place contains a big collection of sarcophagi, sculptures and the walls covered with so many frescoes.
At the end we visited the museum quickly, and heading to the parking we came across the souvenir shops and took the chance to please our loved ones with gifts and take a small souvenir from the trip.