17 February 2024 – Pisa
Miles driven today = 15
Total Miles to date = 1,304
Today was a nice short driving day. In fact it should have been even shorter. We needed supplies so we headed for the Carrefour Ipermercarto on the outskirts of Pisa but were denied by their multi-story car park. It also seems that the Mediceans didn’t take 3 metre high motorhomes into consideration when they designed their 16th Century Aqueduct so we ended up doubling back and taking a different route into town in order to reach the aire we are staying on tonight. We also spotted a Lidl with a nice empty car park en-route so all was good in the end.
Once we were parked up we took the 30 minute stroll to join the hordes who were already gathering to gawp at the spectacular architecture at the “Field of Miracles”.
If there is one building which is synonymous with Italy it is of course the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Construction started in 1178 and they had only completed the third tier when it started to subside and lean in the opposite direction to the way it does today. When they tried to correct this the tower lurched in the opposite direction.
Numerous architects added to the tower over the course of the next 180 years, each trying to correct the lean and effectively putting a bend into the tower.
By 1990 The Tower was leaning 4.5 metres from vertical at an angle of 5 degrees. So over the following 11 years millions of Euros were spent in stabilising the Tower. It’s open again nowadays and you can climb to the top after queueing for ages and parting with €20.
Building work on the Duomo was started in 1064 and it took approximately a century to complete. This is effectively the rear view.
And this is what the incredibly ornate front looks like.
This is the Baptistry. It’s the largest such building in Italy. Building began in 1152 and wasn’t completed until the late 14th Century.
The fourth and final building in the Field of Miracles is the Camposanto which is effectively a glorified cemetery. In 1203 Pisan Knights had a cargo of soil transported from the supposed site of the crucifixion so that eminent citizens could be buried in it.
This 2012 bronze sculpture is entitled “Fallen Angel” by Igor Mitoraj with the Opera della Primaziale Pisana in the background.
We didn’t bother with buying tickets to explore the insides of the buildings. By all accounts there are some ornate pulpits to look at but even in February there were plenty of tourists about and we didn’t fancy battling the throngs.
We also didn’t bother trying to take lame photos of ourselves apparently trying to hold up the tower, but plenty did.
We had wandered around all four of the buildings and taken plenty of photos in less than an hour so we decided to find ourselves a spot of lunch before exploring a little more of what Pisa has to offer.
There were plenty of restaurants and cafes plying for trade but all we really wanted was a sandwich. Lisa reckoned that one between the two of us would have sufficed but I’m a growing lad so I would have to disagree.
Once we had got those paninis down us (or more to the point, I had and most of Lisa’s went in a doggy bag) we just followed our noses for a while. This was the Piazza dei Cavalieri
On the other side of the Piazza are the Pallazo della Carovana on the left and the Church of St Stefan on the right.
Approaching Piazza St Felice
The arcaded shops in the main pedestrianised area reminded me a little of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
We wandered on down to the Ponte di Mezzo over the River Arno.
A life sized bronze statue of the Italian General Garibaldi in the Square which also bears his name.
We plonked ourselves down for a couple of well deserved Peronis opposite the Church of San Michele in Borgo.
And had a quick look at the mediaeval artwork inside when we were done.
On the way back to the van we passed through a section of the city wall. Whilst not complete like Lucca, some lengthy and formidable looking sections still remain.
Then we followed that Medicean Aqueduct all the way back to the van.
We were back here by 2:30 so we have had a chilled afternoon. I actually got a chair out and fell asleep in the sunshine for a while before semi-successfully streaming the Tractor Boys’ gritty 2-1 away win at Swansea. The weather looked very different there, as confirmed by son Rory who was at the match and got very soggy.
The paid aire we are on tonight is virtually full. We have Slovenian neighbours but most of the vans here appear to be Italian weekenders. A group across the way from us have set up tables and chairs and are currently having lively and vociferous conversations as only the Italians can. I just hope it doesn’t go on too late.
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