Still catching up on Italy!

Recap: December 30

After perusing the train schedules to Pisa during my morning constitution (doesn’t that sounds like something out of Jane Austen – see I really did gain from that class I took last term…) I returned in time for breakfast. This time we were served at the breakfast nook upstairs – same food, better set up.

We then headed to the train station and were off to Pisa. Once there we picked up a tourist map and walked to the tower, Duomo and Baptistery (conveniently all in one area).

Before exploring them we hit a touristy pizzeria for lunch – kids had a cheese pizza and we opted for salami and tomato/mozzarella appetizers (how much salami can we eat on this trip, I wonder).

Then we hit a gelato place. Only then were we truly ready to check out the leaning tour and all.

Kids under eight can’t go up the tower so we passed on that trek. Instead we hit the Baptistery and Church – both lovely.

The church is a medieval cathedral entitled to Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary of the Assumption).

Construction on it began in 1063 by the architect Buscheto (originator of the distinctive Pisan Romanesque style in architecture).

The building, as have several in Pisa, has tilted slightly since its construction. (This statement cracked me up – does everything in Pisa lean?)

The Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, stands opposite the west end of the Duomo. The round Romanesque building was begun in the mid 12th century and was built in the Romanesque style. It is the largest baptistery in Italy.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry.

Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The tower presently leans to the southwest. (That begs the question: did it lean in a different direction before?)

From Pisa we hopped the train back to Florence, stopped at the carousel at the Piazza Independente for kid entertainment and ended up back at Aqua 2. (1 tried and true and 2 the beef was SO good…the place was packed and we saw other patrons from our first trip in, so apparently we weren’t the only fans). We ended up sharing a table, which seemed appropo for such a fun, energetic environment.

Again we shared the tasting menu – different salads/pasta, same fabulous beef. Again, the gnocchi was particularly good – red sauce this time.

Tiramisu and chocolate cake w/ raspberry sauce to finish it off.

We turned in for our last night at the infamous apartments, where we heard plenty of noise on the street…lots of people and energy in Florence for the New Year.