The Grand Tour (Day 19): Pisa

Our last day in Italy started out with breakfast on the rooftop terraza, and since our train to Pisa didn't leave until about 10:45 am, we had an hour or so in the morning to take one last final walk around Rome.  It was much cooler in the morning and the walk was so much more pleasant than some of our walks in the afternoon heat.

Becky posing for one final shot in front of the Trevi Fountain.

Since we had missed it earlier in our Rome stay, we decided to walk the 3-4 blocks over to the Roman Pantheon.  It is an ancient Roman building built around 126 AD.  It has been the inspiration for a myriad of architectural styles and details over the centuries.

Front facade with the entrance pillars

Originally, the Pantheon was a Roman temple to all of the Roman Gods.  Then it was taken over by the Christians and converted into a Church, and today is more of a national memorial, with the burials of Victor Emmanuel, a few presidents, and unknown soldiers.

The occulus in the center of the dome is the only light source, but it also lets in a lot of birds...and rain. So there are drains built into the paving pattern on the floor.

We then walked around to the side and the back of the Pantheon to the Santa Maria sopra Minerva church with its famous elephant obelisk designed by Bernini.  We waited about 5 min for some tourists to finish taking their pictures in front of it, and they just kept hanging around, so I was forced to take my picture cutting off the bottom so I would miss their heads.  :/

Looking out onto the Piazza in front of the Pantheon through the entrance columns

We made our way back to the hotel, picked up some cash out of an ATM along the way, and walked out to the main road a block or two away from our hotel to catch a taxi back to the Termini train station.  We found our platform and boarded the train.

For some reason, I didn't buy first class seats on this train leg, and I wish I had.  First class cars are much less crowded, the seats are bigger and more comfy, and you don't have to sit face to face with someone.  This second class car was crowded (full), and we ended up having to sit knee to knee with people we didn't know. Kind of awkward and uncomfortable.  And we didn't get the attendant to walk up and down the aisle offering us beverages and "sweet or salty" snacks.

Our train made a connection in Florence and we had about 8 minutes to transfer to our train to Pisa.  Its a bit of a dash to get luggage gathered, fight the crowds getting on and off the train, finding your platform, and getting on the new train, but it went off without a hitch.

We ended up taking a train car near the front with a private "room" with facing seats and a glass door you could open and close.  Just before the train was ready to leave, a young man came running to get onto the train and asked if the seat across from us was taken.  He was a recent college graduate who had a hard time finding work, so he took a job in Milan and commuted back to his home near Pisa every weekend.  His name was Francesco and he spoke nearly perfect English.  We had a delightful conversation during the hour-long train ride to Pisa and it was fun to hear what his thoughts were on life in Italy.  He made the comment while we think it sounds very exotic to live in Italy, in reality, in his words, "It's crap."  He was frustrated with the bureaucracy and the corruption in government.  He and his girlfriend are considering moving to the US in the next few years. 

We also had a few gypsies stop by our car and ask/beg for money.  Francesco was very impatient with them and told them to just leave.

When we arrived in Pisa, we said goodbye to Francesco (after he friended me on Facebook on his smartphone) and got off the train.  We looked everywhere for signs for the baggage storage room where we could check our luggage for the day, but couldn't find it anywhere.  After walking around for 10-15 min, I finally asked some nice nuns who were walking through the terminal and in my very broken Italian, tried to ask where the "bagagem deposito" was.  The nun had a very kind smile but gave me a quizzical look before shrugging her shoulders with no clue what I was saying.  And the more I tried to say it, the less she understood.  So I told her thank you and we went on our way again.  Becky finally asked someone in the station who pointed us in the right direction and we were able to check our bags and carry-ons for the day.

We started out to explore Pisa, but not before stopping at the Bagni Docce.  I don't know about you,  but I think it makes a bathroom seem nicer to call it a "Sweet Bathroom".  (It actually means "bathroom showers", but I like the way I interpreted it and it made me smile.)  I spent a lot of time outside of these bathrooms on this trip.

Fountain in front of Pisa Train Station

Pisa Train Station

The main square in the center of Pisa with the main church.  The bells were ringing when we arrived. How nice of them to notice our arrival.

We walked down the main thoroughfare through town (on a route Francesco had suggested), but I was surprised there were so few people.  Turns out, they were smart and were taking a break during the early afternoon heat.  A few hours later, this place was bustling!

The Arno River as it flows through Pisa

Arno River

We thought we were taken the route Francesco had recommended, but somewhere, we took a wrong turn and ended up walking the scenic route through Pisa.  When we got to the old Roman Wall, we decided to look at a map and found we were way off course.

On our walk back in the right direction, we found these street signs which Becky really liked.

And of course, if its hot, you can always stop and take a break with Gelato

We arrived at the Tower of Pisa around 3 pm and spent a good 2-3 hours there visiting all of the museums, cathedral, baptistery, and the tower.

Our first view of the tower

The Campo dei Milagre, the complex of buildings that comprise the Cathedral, the tower, baptistery, Camposanto and other buildings now used as a museum.

The Baptistery

Several months before our trip, I watched a documentary on the art in Europe during World War II, including Hitler's attempts to confiscate most of the prized art works.  The documentary was called The Rape of Europa and was one of the best I've seen.  It also details some of the mishaps that occurred during WWII such as the accidental bomb that hit the Camposanto, adjacent to the Tower.  Originally, the Camposanto (a mausoleum) had one of the greatest collections of the world's frescoes and was the primary reason that people came to Pisa.  (The tower only became a tourist draw much later).  One of the bombs intended for a location nearby strayed and hit the Camposanto, completely melting its lead roof and destroying most of the frescoes.  Ever since, restoration work has been ongoing to try and restore the frescoes.

Becky looking at some of the restored frescoes

The tracery around the courtyard of the Camposanto

Burial boxes?

Some of the frescoes in the process of restoration

The courtyard of the Camposanto

Pictures in the museum of the damage after the WWII bomb hit

Baptistery on the west side of the Cathedral

West facade of the Cathedral

Inside the baptistery

Detailed carvings on the rostrum of the baptistery

Ceiling of the Baptistery

Stained glass windows of the Baptistery

Stone carvings around the door of the baptistery

Mosaic detail above the Cathedral door

As we entered the Cathedral there were signs posted asking that people be respectful of the location as a sacred space and requested that shoulders be covered.  (Something we saw in most of the cathedrals in Italy).  At Pisa, if you didn't comply, they had paper shawls for you to wear and asked you to "cover up".  I was surprised at the attitude of a number of people who felt put out by having to comply with someone else's standards that differed from theirs, some even arguing with the hosts.  It just seems so obvious that if you are a guest in someone's house, you follow their wishes, regardless of your own.  It just seems like its a courtesy that we, as a world society, have forgotten.

At the back of the nave looking toward the altar

The modified Medici symbol above the door to the cathedral

The main altar of the cathedral.  Also notice the "allsorts" patterns in the columns.

Mosaics behind the main altar

One of the side chapels

We walked around the outside of the cathedral (on the shady side), and found some bathrooms.  While I was waiting for Becky, I noticed this equipment that was set up and covered, and I later learned that it was used for a time to support cables when the tower was in danger of collapsing in the late 1990s.  While the remediation efforts on the tower were successful in tilting it back upright to a stable degree, they left these stanchions in place with monitors so that if the tower starts to lean dangerously, they can reattach the support cables to keep the tower from falling.

To get tickets to climb the tower, I had to order a time slot several months in advance (they sell out quickly for the day).  Our time slot was 4 pm, so shortly before that, we checked our bag, and joined the line at the base of the tower.

Becky ready to enter the tower door before the climb

From the inside center of the tower looking up to the top

As we climbed the tower, it was a strange feeling to feel differences in the steps as we followed the circular stairs up.  When we were on the downhill side going up, it seemed like the stairs were double high.  As we were on the uphill side, it seemed as if we were walking straight across a bumpy floor.  You really could tell a difference between the sides.

View from the top of the Tower toward the Cathedral and Baptistery

Looking out over the city of Pisa

Crowds gather below

One of the bells in the top of the tower.  After all, it is a bell tower

There were throngs of tourists on the lawn area adjacent to the tower taking the obligatory forced-perspective picture of holding up the tower.  The lawn was marked "Stay off the grass" but it was obvious no one was enforcing the rule.

So we joined in the fad and took a picture of our own. Shortly after we left the grass, the police came through blowing their whistles getting people off the grass.

Our entrance ticket to the grounds also gave us access to the Museo della Sinopie, primarily a collection of some of the artifacts from the Camposanto.  After the World War II fire that destroyed the frescoes, work began to remove the frescoes and begin restoration.  What they found as they removed the frescoes, was that there was a layer underneath called the Sinopie that was a chalk drawing of the intended frescoe.  It gives the restorers a guide for the future restorations (although the actual frescoes were sometimes changed by artistic license when the frescoes were actually done).  It was fascinating to see of the "sketch drawings" that were done, and many were actually real sketches, with multiple lines to get the right shapes.

Also on display on the upper floor were the costumes used in the 1954 film "Romeo e Juliet." by Castellani.  To research the costumes for the time period, they used the sinopie and the surviving frescoes of the Camposanto to design the costumes.  Becky loved this.

Our plane to London wasn't scheduled to leave until 9:45 pm, so we had a lot of time to kill.  As we strolled along the Arno River, it was still pretty hot, so we stopped in a shop selling Granitas (slushes) and Gelato.  I got a granita, Becky got a gelato, all were made locally with fresh fruit and were delicious....especially on such a hot day.  We made our way back to the center of Pisa and walked along the main thoroughfare.  The crowds were out and it was very busy, unlike our initial reaction when we walked through earlier in the day.

We walked back to the train station to pick up our luggage and make our way to the airport.  When we arrived at the baggage check room, there was a small group of people waiting and as we walked up to the door, saw a sign that read (in Italian), "Stepped out, Be back soon" or something to that effect.  It could have been very aggravating had we had a train to catch or a plane soon.  And we were able to laugh about it, even though it seemed so incredulous that someone could just leave and say they'd be back "sometime".  We waited only about 10-15 minutes before an attendant came back (and I think he was a bit surprised to see such a line of people).  We took our luggage and decided to head over to the airport.  On Google Earth, the distance between the train station and the airport seemed almost next to each other.  So we decided to walk.  And it was probably a mistake.  We were tired from walking to the tower and back, and the airport seemed almost as far in the opposite direction.

The Pisa airport is a small airport, and there isn't a lot there.  So we bought some pizza and drinks at a small cafe and staked claim to a table and chairs just outside on the patio of the airport.

Dolphin sculpture in the grass in front of the Pisa airport

Gallileo International Airport.  The patio and grass areas just outside the front of the airport.

We were flying a budget airline back to London, and budget means they don't have their own ticket counter.  So, like a train station, you have to wait until they post the counter on a sign and then there is a mad rush to get everyone checked into the flight, with a ridiculously small staff to process the passengers.  (And it took us a while to figure this out....there were few people who were willing to tell us how this system worked.)  Finally, our check-in counter number was posted and we joined the line that was very long.   While waiting in line for the check-in (and it seemed like we were one of the last to be checked in), we saw this this sign (and signs are rare in Italy), but the funny thing is that this sign was posted on a desk marked "Information".

Forgive me if I ask for information at the Information Desk

While there is so much to be admired in Italian culture, this just seemed so representative of some of the negative aspects of the culture.  It was everything Becky could do to keep me from being a smart aleck and ask a general information question like, "Do you know what the weather is like today?" just so I could stick it back in their face.

We got checked into our flight for London and spent the next 20-30 minutes buying "stuff" in the airport cafe/gift shop to use up the last few remaining Euros that we had.

The budget flight also means that you don't get seat assignments and end up fighting for a spot, and somehow Becky and I ended up being one of the last onto the plane, and we ended up on separate rows in the last remaining seats.

It was only a 2-hour flight back to London.  We landed at London's Gatwick airport, and then had a shuttle driver arranged to take us to London Heathrow Airport.  On Google Earth, it looked so close, but it was about an hours drive to Heathrow (in pouring rain), where we had a room for overnight at the airport Hilton, immediately adjacent to the terminal where we would be flying out the next morning.  We arrived at the hotel shortly after midnight, got checked in, and revelled in the fact that we could understand everything on the "telly" and understand everything the attendant spoke at the desk.  There is something reassuring about feeling at home in your language.