And after the work days and the aftermath of the “Flavors & Senses – The Best for 2014” awards, nothing like writing about what gives me the most pleasure, travelling. And, nothing like Italy to make me forget about my vacation that is late in arriving.
So, let’s talk about Pisa, after a marvelous morning enjoying Florence, we decided to catch a train and go to the famous inclined tower city.
During part of the Middle Age, Pisa dominated economically the Western Mediterranean, which caused it to accumulate great richness and allowed an investment in terms of culture. Today we can visit some of those magnificent buildings that made part of that cultural development like Campo dei Miracoli constituted by the Baptistery, Duomo, Camposanto and the inclined Tower.
This tower was built to be the Duomo’s steeple. For being constructed in a sandy terrain in 1173, the tower started to incline before the third floor was finished but the construction kept going and was completed in 1350. Thanks to recent advanced engineering, around 38 cm of its inclination were reverted and the tower reopened to the public, however, the top of the tower is at a distance of 3,9 m of where it would have been if it was completely vertical!
Duomo and Tower
The Duomo is considered one of the most beautiful constructions in Tuscany (and it truly is!), in a Pisano-Romanesque style the facade is made of arches and the embossed bronze gates were made by Bonanno Pisano (the first architect of the Tower).
The Baptistery, in circular shape, mixes the Romanesque and Gothic styles. The pillars have statues of the virtues and the baptismal font is all in marble, as well as the pulpit.
Duomo
The Camposanto (cemetery) is the fourth element of the complex that composes the Campo dei Miracoli. This rectangular building is ornamented with marble porches.
The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo occupies the former rectory of the cathedral and exhibits objects taken from the church, the Baptistery and the Camposanto.
To sum up, this is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, and by walking through town we’re not able to realize what’s expecting us, and when we enter this complex full of wonders we have the feeling of having gone to a parallel world!
Arno’s Riverbanks
Tips:
Pisa, despite the worldwide fame of its inclined tower has not much more to visit besides the Campo dei Miracoli and a few small medieval churches, so when planning your trip the best is not to save a lot of time to visit this town. A morning or an afternoon is more than enough to visit everything.
So, if you’re traveling to Pisa’s Airport the best is to make a small detour before your main destination. Or when in Florence, a small and beautiful travel by train easily takes you there.
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Text: Cíntia Oliveira | Photos: Flavors & Senses.