Saturday 28 April 2007

Never… EVER… Would I have thought that I would have some of these opportunities. Here I was on a Friday night sitting at a sidewalk table, having a beer, sampling some antipasto and watching people stroll by the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

While Amy was preparing for her two week business trip to Houston , I decided to make a quick day trip to Pisa , Italy (boy… does that sound pretentious or what?). I won’t lie to you, other than the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), there’s not much else to see in Pisa (trust me I tried), but STILL!!

A little background… The Field of Miracles (actually the Piazza del Duomo) is a large area of Pisa that contains the Duomo (cathedral), its Baptistery, the Bell Tower (the one that leans) and the Camposanto (monumental cemetery).

Getting there first thing on Saturday morning, I was part of the initial group of the day to climb the Tower. The 185 ft. climb wasn’t so tough, but you really can feel the tilt, especially as you near the top. The one thing I found interesting was just how worn the marble steps have become after “only” 700+ years of use.

The Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist is basically a large building that houses the baptismal font. The immenseness of the interior really isn’t captured in the pictures. It is difficult to fathom that the font and the pulpit were both constructed in the 13th century.

I was actually quite disappointed with the Camposanto (seeing that I’m on a cemetery kick lately). It seems that most of the original Roman monuments and frescos have been removed and relocated to other museums.

Last but not least was the Duomo itself. While the Leaning Tower gets all the attention, it is the Duomo that is the centerpiece of the piazza. While maybe not as ornate as the cathedrals in Rome , you have to realize it was built almost 500 years beforehand. As in the Baptistery, there was a very intricately sculpted pulpit. As always it seems, photos just don’t do these justice.