two weeks in italy: Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa and so much more!

While based in Florence, during our two week tour of Italy, Brian and I took a quick day trip to Pisa to see the monumental tower. Like most of our experiences in Italy, we were pleasantly surprised by how much more there was to the city than it's famous "mistake".

Pisa Highlights:

Located on the Arno River, Pisa is a vibrant city and home to one of the oldest and most well-respected universities in Europe, The University of Pisa. Another famous college is Scuola Normale Superiore which was founded by Napoleon!

Across the river from the Leaning Tower of Pisa is another well known church, the gothic style, Santa Maria della Spina.

While all of Italy has killer gelato, a superb stop for this delicious dessert, is La Bottega del Gelato.

Pisa has so much to offer the casual Florence day-tripper, but the real draw to the city is the famous leaning tower. One of the 50 top man-made wonders of the world, the Leaning Tower of Pisa began construction in the 1170s and was not complete until the 1370s. Part of the delay was that the tower began sinking on one side, quickly after the 3rd floor was built. Poor foundation and subsoil were to blame so the building was left for a hundred years which allowed the soil to solidify and prevent collapse. Construction continued on floors 4-7 and the lean was taking into account on these upper floors, creating one side of the floors to be taller than the other. Surprisingly, you are able to climb the 300 steps up the tower to the bell tower and Pisa city views.

Back on the ground, there is more to explore on the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles). The most grand and the most beautiful is The Duomo of Santa Maria Assunta. Made entirely of marble the Romanesque style architecture, it is quite impressive with it's flat stone front and ornate dome. Not to be outdone, The Baptistery of San Giovanni is the largest baptistery in the world. The inside of the structure is empty to create a distinctive echo and showcase the acoustics. As if this extraordinary building needed a "claim to fame," it also happens to be the location of Galileo's baptism.