M:

Based on the auguries, today was schedued to be reasonably good weather, so we headed off to Santa Maria Novella for the train to Pisa. We had a few problems with the ticket machines, but managed to get our tickets and settle down comfortably on the Livorno train before it got too crowded. One of the tips we should share is that it is useful to know the number of your train particularly if your stop is not the final destination. That way you can be sure you are on the right one!

We ran right on time and were getting out in Pisa in exactly an hour - at a cost of about 5 euro each. Elisabetta and Umberto had not been too excited about Pisa - which is why we did Lucca first - but I have always wanted to see - and climb - the famous tower. The guidebooks all warn about the need to have booked in advance, but online this is really only possible a fortnight ahead as far as we could see. In any case, we were relying on the off season to smooth the way, so headed directly for the ticket office. The first sight of the tower was quite splendid as it emerged at the end of the street. Since most of the buildings in the "Field of Miracles" have been cleaned, they stand in stark contrast to the more sombre colurs of the surrounding residential area.

Our confidence in off-season numbers was not misplaced. We bought our combined tickets for the Baptistery, Camposanto (cemetery) and two museums, and I got one for the tower at about 10 past ten, and by 1030 I was on my way up the tower. Anne had decided to forego the pleasure.

By now the wind had risen, and as we spiralled our way up the staircase which is sandwiched between an inner and outer wall, we could hear it screaming outside. Maybe it was all the third floor flat in Rome, the various wells and towers and the narrow staircases in Riomaggiore, but the staircase itself presented no real challenges. Neither did you have the sense of being at any kind of angle - either during the climb or at the summit. The views of the green square with its gleaming white buildings and on to the surrounding hills made the climb worthwhile, though. And of course to be able to say that I have been there! The real attraction of the lean is from outside the tower. Isn't it interesting how a blunder the size of this has become the fortune of the city? Meanwhile Anne was at the Sinopie.

A: I decided my knee, although perfectly fine for all the walking we are doing, was not going to be too happy doing this climb so while I severely regret not making the climb, I decided that doing the climb may cause much more serious regret. So I wandered around the nearby markets but they were just like all the other markets we have seen from Sicily to Florence and full of the usual tea towels and kitsch. I decided to check out the Sinopie which is a museum of forteenth and fifteenth century frescoes that have been restored. They are huge and really faint but there is a good explanation of each one. Sinope is a place in Turkey which is rich in red soil that is used to create the pigment for these frescoes. Upstairs is a display of the garments, made more recently, to match those in really old photos. There were dresses and really fancy hats. What an interesting project for a university group to undertake- although I have to say I don't know who actually made them.

M:

While I waited for Anne I took a walk around the Duomo, marvelling at the casual way in which marble had been recycled from other sources in such obvious ways, with no attempt at concealment. I'll include a picture. When Anne arrived, it felt like time for a coffee and pastry - thank God all the walking makes space for the odd cream filled flaky pastry!

From there we went into the Duomo, whose undisputed star was its pulpit by Pisano. The panels around the upper section tell the story of Christ in a most remarkable way. The link takes you to a general site on the Piazza dei Miracoli, which includes some pictures from the Duomo. I'll include a couple in the album.

We visited the Baptistery - not a lot to tell (how blase we have become about historical buildings!) and the Camposanto - a kind of roofed in cemetery with the graves of famous Pisans under the flagstones surrounded by the remnants of wonderful frescoes. The real miracle of this field is that so much survived WWII unscathed!

The museum of the "Opere del Duomo" contains some lovely pieces of sculpture, paintings and liturgical artefacts which give a sense of the development of the precinct. The extensive collection took a while to get through.

By now we were ready for lunch. We had found recommendations for a restaurant called Lo Schiaccianoci - the nutcracker - on Trip Advisor, and it was down by the station - another 25 minute walk away, so we were ready for our meal when we arrived. Pisa being closer to the water, seafood was on the menu. Anne had a prawn and asparagus pasta and I had octopus stewed in red wine. The food was quite good, and the service a little eccentric (I had ordered two courses and Anne one, but they arrived one at a time!). Still, the place was full of locals and not tourists like us, and it was a pleasant sojourn before the train.

The return trip was even quicker (50 minutes) as it was a non-stop. This gave us plenty of time to put affairs like this long neglected blog in order! We had just said on the way back to the train that we had not seen a single beggar in this university town, and then we nearly tripped over one, prostrate in the middle of the footpath. We also noticed that a large number of locals use pushbikes to get around and age does not seem to matter, which is great to see.