Pisa --
Today we drove back to Nice to catch our flight home via
Rome.
We had one more place we wanted to see before we left and
fortunately it was on our way to Nice, Pisa.
Checking out of our “base” in Florence took a while. We did not wake up early because the trip to
Assisi had worn us out with the rain and all the walking. Of course, we also wanted to take advantage
of one more wonderful breakfast at the Villa Olmi.
In this case we followed Rick Steve’s advice and found the
parking area that was free near the core Pisa area. It was only a few blocks away from where we
wanted to be.
Yes, the tower does lean!!
We walked about the area where there are actually 4 different buildings
to be viewed. Archaeological finds have
documented that Pisa was founded by the Etruscans in around 9th or 8th
century BC in a place which turned out to be very fortunate from the strategic
position because it was founded on the River Arno, a few kilometers from the
sea protected by a lagoon and crossed and another river.
The Cathedral of Pisa was consecrated in 1118, but the work
for its construction was begun was begun between 1063 and 1064. Like many cities in France and Italy
especially along the coastal areas, what is now Pisa, was invaded by many different
people and countries including Florence.
It was finally annexed in 1860 to the Kingdom of Italy and today Pisa is
a city of art and destination.
They symbol of Pisa, is a 56 meter high bell tower leaning
to one side because of the soft ground which makes up the subsoil of Pisa. It currently leans 3 meters and 99
centimeters out of the vertical has only recently been stabilized at the
measure after preservation work started in 1990. It has been leaning since 1185 a few years
after the start of construction.
We had a great lunch and it was really a beautiful blue sky
day!
The drive along the coast to Nice was uneventful and mostly
on the autostrada. We had picked a hotel
near the airport for an easy transition tomorrow morning!
Ciao!! Off to Rome.
Susan and Bill
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