I’ve visited Pisa twice and in all honesty I did not expect to like it since the Leaning Tower is more or less synonymous with ‘tourist trap.’  But if you can ignore the idiots standing on the fence (contrary to signs saying that it’s prohibited), taking selfies while leaning like the tower, Piazza dei Miracoli is well worth the trip.  Plus there are other interesting sights as well as many beautiful walks through less known piazzas as well as along the Arno and south of the Arno.   But, that said, I do have to include a couple of the crazier photos I took of the tourists. 

 

Getting There

On our first visit my sister and I were staying at a hotel in the countryside south of Lucca, (Villa Cheli, see my Where to stay in Italy post) and had a rental car.  The hotel had a good map and the concierge gave us fairly detailed directions.  So getting to Pisa, itself, was no problem.  But once we got close to the centro things fell apart.

We were close to the area where the hotel said to park when my sister said, ‘There’s parking.’ ‘Where?’  I followed her direction and soon we were in a traffic mess and completely lost.  Eventually I parked at what turned out to be a supermarket.  We followed the signs to the centro and once we got oriented and found a parking garage, we hiked back, got the car, parked again and came in through the southeast ‘porta’ walking through the San Antonio district south of the Arno, then crossed the Arno and headed to the main ‘via’ walking along the Arno, seeing several pretty piazzas and street scenes.

On our second visit, my sister and I were staying in Montecatini Terme (see   post) after visiting Bologna. ( Montecatini Terme post) so we took the train to Pisa. The train was easy and even with a change in Lucca only took about an hour.  We got off at the main station (Pisa Centrale) when we arrived but realized later that the Pisa San Rossore station is closer to the centro, and took the return train from that station.

Things to do and Places to Go

Piazza dei Miracoli

The ‘Leaning Tower’

https://www.opapisa.it/en/square-of-miracles/tower/

Neither my sister nor I had the courage to try to walk up the tower.  We can’t even make it up one of the towers in San Gimignano which are not as tall.  But we found it beautiful and fascinating, walking around it multiple times, and taking photos.  The Opa Pisa site above has a quote from Vasari saying that the tower leans because the architects didn’t know how to lay the foundation properly. The fact that it was built in the 12^th century makes it even more amazing. (The site also gives current information on the price of tickets.) 

The Cathedral and Baptistry (il Duomo and Battistero di San Giovanni)

https://www.opapisa.it/visita/battistero/

Both times that we visited, the Baptistry was free, while the Cathedral required a ticket.  I didn’t write in my journal how much the ticket cost at that time but currently the web site above says that the Cathedral and Baptistry cost 8 euros, then there are different combinations of the monuments in the Piazza that range up to 27 euros.

On our first visit, I chose not to buy the Cathedral ticket and just strolled around the centro while my sister spent about an hour there.  I did buy a ticket on our second trip and I sat in the cathedral while my sister took pictures. It reminded me a bit of Santa Croce in Florence which someone referred to as ‘barnlike.’  By that I mean it is a huge, echoing space marked by coffered gold ceilings and arches that reminded me of the Mescita in Cordaba, Spain.

Both visits I found the Baptistry both more interesting and moving. The interior is not only beautiful but from the second level you have amazing views of the piazza.   On our second trip I wrote that:.  While we were on the upper level, the staff closed the doors and performed what sounded like a Gregorian chant.  Here’s the video my sister took during the chant. You have to turn up the volume on your device to hear it.

IMG_5316

You can read more in my Cathedrals and Abbeys post. 

The Botanical Gardens

https://www.ortomuseobot.sma.unipi.it/en/

Two of my favorite things when visiting a new city are archaeological museums and botanical gardens.  Before our second trip to Pisa, I did some internet research for  things to do in addition to Piazza dei Miracoli and found the Botanical Gardens.  What I didn’t realize at the time is that they are part of the University of Pisa and the first university owned botanical gardens in the world.

The gardens are truly lovely plus there is an interesting ‘museum’ with works of art and numerous botanical displays.   But unfortunately it was so hot that day that we couldn’t stay long.  Still we did take lots of photos showing the range of plants and trees.

Walkabouts

The San Antonio District

As mentioned in my intro, there are several pleasant walks throughout Pisa, that take you away from the craziness of Piazza dei Miracoli.   We walked through the San Antonio district by accident on trip one, because of parking the car southeast of the river.  Near the southeast ‘gate’ to the district are ruins of Roman aqueducts. 

We crossed through this relatively quiet area on the way to the bridges across the Arno near via Santa Maria which leads to Piazza dei Miracoli.  This area reminds me of the Oltrarno area in Florence, with artisan shops and small restaurants and businesses.  On our first trip we were more or less wandering, finding our way  by accident to the Arno and then into the centro.  We walked through San Antonio on our second trip as we headed from the main train station to the centro staying mainly on via Giuseppe Mazzini.  Again I found it quiet and pleasant. 

Gallery  need new one

Along the Arno

There are two bridges that cross the Arno near via Santa Maria; Ponte Solferino slightly southwest of via Santa Maria and Ponte di Mezzo slightly east of via Santa Maria.  On both trips we crossed at Ponte Solferino and then continued to Piazza Miracoli.  And on our first trip we crossed over the Arno at Ponte di Mezzo on our way back through San Antonio District to our car.   While it doesn’t have quite the impact as the area between Ponte Santo Spirito and Ponte Grazie in Florence, it is still pretty and peaceful and well worth taking the time to see.

Piazza dei Cavalieri

https://www.visittuscany.com/en/attractions/piazza-dei-cavalieri-in-pisa/

Home to the University of Pisa, this large, quiet square reflects the work of Vasari as commissioned by Cosimo I di Medici in the 16^th century.  In addition to Palazzo dei Cavalieri, the square contains the statue of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the church of Santo Stefano and Palazzo Orologio.  Given the size of the square, it’s difficult to capture its elegance.  So the gallery below shows the Palazzo dei Cavalieri plus a few quirky features on the other buildings and the ‘portas’ leading into the square.

Where to eat

On our first visit, we just stopped at a small osteria in the San Francisco district on our way back to the car.  I didn’t write down the name, just that it filled our need for some food and drink as well as a short break

I Porci Comodi (Pisa)

(They just have a Facebook page but here’s the TripAdvisor page https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187899-d9592233-Reviews-I_Porci_Comodi-Pisa_Province_of_Pisa_Tuscany.html )

On our second trip I did a little research on enotecas that were open all afternoon, finding two that looked good–I Porci and Cantina Tipi. Somehow I thought Porci was the better one which turned out not to be the case at least from the standpoint of having a place to sit and eat.

After walking from the botanical gardens we realized too late that Porci Comodi was  just a tiny street food place. We were standing outside, trying to decide what to do.  Before we could move on one of the guys—who are all funny and cute—talked us into getting drinks and food and sitting in the nearby park which was not so much fun.  The tagliere was huge, more than we could eat, and the food was great, but the flies and heat, not so much.

Where to Stay

Hotel Villa Cheli

https://villacheli.it/en

On our first trip, we were staying at Hotel Villa Cheli, just south of Lucca, in the countryside.  We were so impressed with it on that trip that we stayed two more times.  I’ve written about it extensively in my Where to stay in Italy  post and will just summarize it here.  The grounds are gorgeous with a beautiful pool and terrace.  The rooms were spacious and nicely decorated. The food in the restaurant was generally quite good.   But on our last visit there things had changed significantly; less than pleasant staff, the wifi only worked sporadically and the upper loggia was no longer available unless you booked the room directly adjacent to it.  Still if I had a car in the area, I would probably stay there again.

Where not to Stay

Hotel Real, Montecatini Terme

While Montecatini Terme is a great place to stay and do day trips to Lucca and Pisa, this was one of my worst hotel choices ever.  Again I’ve written about it extensively in my  Where not to Stay, Italy post.

 

 

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