Pisa, Italy
One Day Trip to Pisa, Italy
While returning from Cinque Terre, we decided to visit Pisa on our train trip back to Bologna. Train tickets were easy to purchase online, we traversed from Manarola to La Spezia, boarded a train to Florence, from there to Pisa.
The Florence train station was overflowing with locals and tourists surrying to make connections. I had planned ahead and purchased reserved seats on the train from Florence to Pisa. Glad we did, as the train was over crowded with passengers filling the aisles.
We found our train car (reserve seats are listed by car and seat numbers). Our seats were occupied by fellow travelers. Once we showed our tickets, they moved to other seats. Everyone we have encountered while riding the trains have been good with regard to moving from seats reserved by other passengers.
We arrived in Pisa and using local wi-fi scheduled a Uber ride to our hotel. We chose a hotel within walking distance of the Tower. Pisa is one of the most visited cities in Europe, due to the Tower and the Field of Miracles.
The area around the hotel ( Grand Hotel Bonanno ) was a mix of residential homes and commercial businesses. The streets and the sidewalks were clean and we felt safe searching for restaurants and walking to and from the Tower.
Venturing out from the hotel we found Da Giovanni. Very friendly staff with good English skills. Spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread, what more could you ask for? The price was very reasonable compared to what we had been paying in Cinque Terre.
Since it was a one day trip, we mapped out our path to the Tower and started our walking journey. Roughly 20 minutes later, we stood at the entrance to the Field of Miracles and the Tower of Pisa.
What is the story of the Tower and adjacent area? The Tower is one of four buildings that make up the cathedral complex, called Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza dei Miracoli, which means Field of Miracles. The Tower of Pisa is simply referred to as the bell tower or campanile.
The first building constructed was the cathedral, or Duomo di Pisa. It is considered one of Italy’s major architectural monuments. It’s grey and white striped stonework is unique to Tuscany.
The interior features 68 stone columns and numerous Gothic sculptures and works of art, including a gold mosaic of Christ looking down from the altar, Biblical scenes and a eight sided pulpit supported by statues. As you walk through the Cathedral, the thought of this building and the works of art being 700 years old, it’s unbelievable.
Just west of the Cathedral, begun in 1153, the Baptistery was the next building constructed. The Baptistery appears as a crown with it’s arches and columns, topped off by a dome of red tiles.
Work on the Tower began after the baptistery was built. Before the Tower was completed, the cemetery, Campo Santo was built. The Campo Santo is said to have soil bought back during the Crusades from Golgotha, the hill where Jesus was crucified. The belief was noble Pisans could rest in holy ground.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Never intended to be the main attraction of the Piazza dei Miracoli, there is no doubt the Tower is the Piazza’s main tourist draw.
Designed and built by an unknown architect, the Tower began construction in August 1173. Construction took about 200 years, delayed by the onset of a series of wars.
Standing about a third as high as the Washington Monument, it’s eight stories are composed of 207 columns, giving the Tower the appearance of a massive wedding cake.
The Tower is constructed of white marble and was designed as a circular bell tower that would stand 185 feet high. The Tower started leaning during construction, it leans about 10 degrees and the top of the Tower is about 17 feet off vertical. Efforts have been made over the years to stabilize the Tower to keep it from leaning further of even potentially falling over.
As we entered the Piazza, there were a number of local vendors, each with a large selection of souvenirs of the Tower plus the typical Pisa t-shirts, hats, magnets and coffee cups. We were there in the middle of the week, the area was crowded, however you could freely move from shop to shop without knocking shoulders with other visitors.
The Piazza also includes a open lawn area which provides a great place for pictures of the The Duomo and the Baptistery. This is the perfect place to take everyone’s favorite photo of the wife or husband holding up the Tower.
It make take a few clicks to get it right and to avoid other visitors photo-bombing your shot. Check your pictures before you move on to the Tower.
Reservations are needed to gain entrance to the Tower and climb the steps to the top. These can be made online and if you have an idea of when you will be there, reserve your time. Tower of Pisa Tickets Groups enter and start climbing every 15 minutes.
We made our reservations that morning, waited in line and began our climb up the 297 step spiral staircase to the top. Not quite Notre Dame in Paris but a good little trek. The steps show the wear from the millions of people who have made the climb.
The Tower was cool inside which felt nice during our ascend. Their are small cutouts in the walls as you climb to let in fresh air with a few wide stops on the stairs to stop and rest if needed. You have the option to stop before the bell chamber, go outside and take photos. The steps to the bell chamber are steep and might not be suitable for everyone.
I climbed to the bell chamber and enjoyed the views of Pisa from the top of the Tower. We had a beautiful day to visit the Tower and enjoys the views of the Piazza and city. The same 297 steps are used to climb and then descend from the Tower.
As you are going down the next group is make their way up. I felt there was plenty of room for one group to descend as another group climbed.
Everyone was very patient with the people around them as we make our way to top of the Tower, step by step in a single file line. Going back down was at our own pace as some people opted to spend more time at the top of the Tower.
Reading about the Tower and seeing pictures as a child growing up in Pennsylvania, climbing the steps to the top was something I never thought I would experience. I can understand why the Tower Of Pisa is one of the most popular sites in Europe.
After the Tower, we headed back to our hotel for a good night’s rest. The next morning we boarded the train to Bologna. More to come on Bologna. An Italian city I found quite surprising – in a good way.
