Pisa: Everything Leans in Pisa

Our weekend in Tuscany ended with a twenty-four hour stint in Pisa.  The afternoon train from Lucca had us within city limits by early evening, although; our arrival was delayed an hour.  This normally wouldn't be a stressor, however; we were meeting someone at the station to drive us to our apartment and had no way to contact him (payphone was out of order).  In the end it all worked out, our driver/temporary landlord was waiting for us at the designated meeting point.  Having settled into our rental, there was just enough sunlight left to visit Piazza del Miracoli - the location of a cemetery, Baptistery, Cathedral, and Bell Tower.  Also known as Piazza del Duomo, the famous Pisa square must have changed pseudonyms due to potential confusion with a more famous square of the same name in a city (also) on the River Arno, Firenze (also one in Milan, but not on the Arno nor Tuscany).

Piazza del Miracoli (Piazza formerly known as Piazza del Duomo) at sunset

Approaching Piazza del Miracoli

Cathedral and Bell Tower

At sunset

The Piazza was relatively empty when we arrived, a great time to take pictures without the hundreds of people taking their "hold the tower" pictures.  Upon first sight, the tower has a more severe lean than both of us previously imagined.  We stayed until the sun set and grabbed a drink at a restaurant with a view of Torre di Pisa.  The diners behind us were rather irritated with their table, it had an egregious unevenness displeasing the party.  We overheard the waiter quip, "It's Pisa, everything leans."  The family remained unimpressed despite the well crafted anecdote.  We finished our beverages, proceeded down the street, and had dinner at a restaurant close to our apartment.  The food was adequate and the atmosphere strangely uncomfortable.

San Ferdiano

Courtyard outside San Ferdiano

Altar of San Caterina

Opposite our street-side table, a gentleman played his guitar, providing tolerable background noise - yet, falling shy of entertainment.  Between restaurant patrons and those sipping espresso at the cafe opposite us, there was (maybe) twenty people involuntarily in attendance.  We were seated close enough where inadvertent eye contact was unavoidable, and sunglasses not an option post sunset.  After the completion of each song, the burden to applauded was more perfunctory cordiality than unanimous delight.  Clearly, the performer could see exactly who wasn't clapping, thus, we obliged.  The set lasted twenty minutes; an eternity for pantomimed approval, but the boorishness wasn't over.  He came through peddling for change, standing at each table with hat in hand - majority of which were eating their meals.  I am not sure of the appropriate social etiquette in this situation. But the way I see it, if I didn't pay money to attend, I shouldn't be obligated to pay for something I didn't want to hear in the first place (or feel guilty for not "donating" to the cause. Gratitude should in no way be synonymous with gratuity).  Following dinner, we made our way back to the apartment to rest our arms - we had a leaning tower to hold up in a few hours.

The following morning

Everything leans in Pisa

Crowd gathering to climb up

The next morning we returned to Piazza del Miracoli, now teaming with tourist; the difference from our first experience was literally and figuratively, night and day.  We didn't take a picture holding the tower for one main reason, we didn't want to; the process of watching others was painful enough (we are old curmudgeons).  We didn't climb the tower either based on our stark opposition to price gauging (exception: Disneyworld) - the admission was €18 and time specific.  Instead, we "purchased" our free tickets to visit Santa Maria Assunta (Saint Mary of the Assumption), the cathedral between the Campanile (Leaning Bell Tower) and Baptistery.  Following our tour of the cathedral, the rest of the afternoon was dedicated to walking around the city; visiting the Palazzo della Carovana, Palazzo delle Vedove, Torre dei Gualandi, and the Mezzogiomo (historical center).  We attempted to see Santa Maria della Spina, but the entire church was scaffolded and closed to the public - along with a few other churches we passed.  To end our tour of the city, we returned to the Piazza del Miracoli and observed the beautiful structures one last time.

Altar of Santa Maria Assunta

Fresco of Saint Mary of the Assumption

Coffer ceiling of Saint Mary...

Naked baby statue

River Arno

Homes along the Arno

Palazzo della Caravona

Arcidiocesi di Pisa

San Sisto

Cinque Terre: Five Towns in Eight Hours

On our second day, we made our way to the Lucca train station and headed to La Spezia, the stop where we would purchase our tickets for Cinque Terre National Park.  However, our trip got off to a rough start because were confused about which bin number our train would arrive.  We brazenly asked the woman next to us for help; who confirmed our correct location and provided us with some pertinent advice.  She explained we needed to change trains at Viareggio, imperative information given the tickets provided no such detail (nor does the automated machine from which they were purchased).  We made the appropriate transfer and the remainder of the ride was uneventful.  Interestingly, we did pass through the town of Carrara, renowned for their marble quarries (Cocktail information: most famous of all Carrara marble, Michelangelo's David was sculpted and honed form a one solid block, statue is 5.17 meters tall (17 ft.)).  Later, our arrival to La Spezia was a foreshadowing to the masses of tourist who would descend upon the small Italian Riviera towns.

Monterosso al Mare

Capuchin Monastery

Inside Chiesa di San Francesco

It was as if Rick Steves was holding a book signing at the train station, although; this may not be the best analogy because I think his autograph is about as useful as his travel tips (regardless, it was very crowded at 9:15).  When we purchased the park passes twenty minutes later, the attendant informed us of closures for all hiking paths with exception to one.  The unfortunate news didn't linger too long, we were only in Cinque Terre for a day and wouldn't have had enough time for to complete the trails.  With blind optimism operating as logic, we decided to start in Monterosso al Mare and proceed south through the remaining cities - assuming the lot would do the opposite.

Cemetery on Salita San Cristoforo

Fresh flowers at memorial

Caio Monterosso al Mare

Our plan proved to be somewhat fruitful, the herd thinned out with each passing city.  Exiting the last station, we proceeded south along the coastline and headed towards a path to Chiesa di San Francesco - location of the Capuchin Monastery.  Along the same trail is a cemetery atop Salita San Cristoforo, beautifully kept and freshly cut flowers adorned the memorials.  To end our visit of Monterosso al Mare, we walked through old town en route to the dock.

Entering Vernazza

Hooray, got someone to take our picture

Streets of Vernazza

Lunch with a view

Rock beach

Train tracks and tunnel towards Monterosso al Mare

From the harbor we boarded the boat and set sail for the next city, Vernazza.  The ride is short, but accessing Vernazza's harbor by sea was indeed the most serene way to enter the fishing village.  We briefly toured Santa Margherita di Antiochia and continued along a path up a hill to get a panoramic view of the town.  When we returned to sea level, it was early afternoon and we could either rush to make the next train or leisurely walk through town for the next ninety minutes.  We decided the later was a more prudent decision, grabbing a slice of pizza and some fried calamari from Batti Friggitoria.  Opposite the fryer was a path to a rock beach (Julie's rock throwing ban is still in effect), a perfect area to enjoy our meal while we enjoyed our remaining time in Vernazza.  Later, we boarded the train to Corniglia, our least favorite of the five cities,  This was our most transient visit, but the town offered a great view of Manarola.

Largo Terragio (Corniglia)

Oratory of Santa Catarenia (Corniglia)

View of Manarola from Corniglia

We reached Manarola mid-afternoon, but having toured for five hours - followed by a satiating lunch with beverages, greatly increased our lethargy.  The "postcard" town of the Cinque Terre is chock-full of hills and switchbacks which depleted most of our remaining energy.  Following a visit to the San Lorenzo and the cemetery, we found a cafe which offered an impressive view of the colorful homes on the Manarola cliffside.  With one more city to go, we had garnered just enough motivation to complete the Cinque Terre in a day.

Path around Manarola

View of the Harbor (Manarola)

Cemetery (Manarola)

Due to our time constraints, we had to curtail our visit to Riomaggiore with our scheduled departure from La Spezia.  We followed a path parallel the coastline and enjoyed the sweeping views of the blue water contrasted against the grey sky.  The sun eventually made its first appearance of the day, however, it was almost time for us to leave.  We enjoyed our visit to Riomaggiore, albeit ephemeral, but we were utterly exhausted after a full day of sightseeing.  The extra time spent in Vernazza limited our scope of the remaining towns, but it was our favorite of the Italian Riviera - thus, it was time well spent.

Riomaggiore

Boats in Riomaggiore

Homes (Riomaggiore)

Vernazza

Hiking path towards harbor in Manarola

Manarola Harbor

Lucca: A Weekend in Tuscany

An update has been long overdue, but we have only been home one weekend in the last month, and we had friends in town from Norway.  Fortunately, I can retroactively date posts, therefore; know that plenty of travel tales await when I find the time to write.  Last October, my parents, Julie, and I visited Firenze during a week's vacation throughout Italy; Roma and Venezia completing the trip's trifecta of cities.  Our group split up on the second day in Florence, we went to the Uffizi and climbed countless stairs at Piazza del Duomo while my parents took the train to Lucca - birthplace of my paternal grandfather.  After hearing about my parent's wonderful experience, we made sure to visit the next time we traveled to Italy.  With an ambitious plan for a long weekend, we set-up base in Lucca, with planned trips to Cinque Terre and Pisa.

Porta Elisa

On top of the wall

Facade of San Michele in Foro

Altar of San Michele in Foro

Our active venture had us slated to see seven cities in the span of four days - not entirely crazy for us, but given Julie's limited time off (another story) we are forced to blitz cities on vacations.  In Florence, Tuscany's charm is drowned out by the sea of tourists, however, within ten minutes of our arrival to Lucca - we knew we found that picturesque Italian village.  To enter the old city center, we walked through the famed fortress walls of Lucca - which have since been been re-purposed as a civilian promenade.  Having arrived late in the afternoon, we used the remaining part of the day to aimlessly explore the streets and squares.  During a leisurely stroll, we passed some of the city's attractions: Duomo di San Martino, San Michele in Foro, Puccini's house, and Torre Guinigi.

Madonna salutis portus by Matteo Civitali

Chiesa di San Michele in Foro

Giacomo Puccini statue and house

We found ourselves at a peculiar time, too early for Italian restaurants and too late to explore most of the sites.  To bridge the gap to dinner, we found a local barber for some much needed grooming - my last haircut being a Turkish shave in Istanbul.  Despite our struggles with the language barrier, we can highly recommend a barber/salon if by chance anyone finds themselves in need of a trim while visiting Lucca.  Restaurants were just opening their doors as we left, two of which I had previously highlighted.  The first option looked promising, only three of the thirty tables were occupied, however; we were turned away because we didn't have a reservation.

Duomo di San Martino

Alley leading to Torre Guinigi

Piazza Antelminelli

Proceeding to the next restaurant, we arrived ten minutes before it opened - our stomachs churned with optimism.  Assuming the door was locked, we sat on a stoop across the way and waited.  Then we saw a woman waltz inside, making us feel foolish not realizing the door was open the entire time.  Unfortunately, we were greeted with more bad news as all the tables were reserved (eleven in total) and had no room for walk-in grazers.  To our surprise, the woman entering before us informed the service team that we were her friends and would be dining with her.

Piazza San Martino

Piazza Antelminelli

Inside Lucca Cathedral

San Martino

Light from stained glass

Excavation under San Giovanni

Our new friend, Laura, was dining at Ristorante La Norma for her third consecutive night and her familiarity with the staff paid dividends.  She spent the time to translate the menu for us and spoke highly of the meals she had during the previous nights.  At one point, the chef came out to speak with Laura as if they were decades-old friends - along with some complementary appetizers.  Everything we ordered was meticulously prepared and savagely devoured.  By the end of the night it was abundantly clear, this had been our best dining experience since moving to Europe.  We made a new friend who graciously invited two strangers to dine with her, not to mention (but really mention) the food was exceptional.  We returned the next night following our visit to the Cinque Terre in hopes of running into Laura again, however, she had returned home to a town near Milan.

Dancing baby and bearded man laughing

Another alley

Torre Guinigi seen from the wall promenade

On our third day in Tuscany, we had the opportunity to fully explore Lucca.  To start the morning, we rented bikes and pedaled along Passeggiata delle Mura, the path along the city's walls.  After riding along the wall, we biked downtown and started our tour at Duomo di San Martino, where Julie was demanded to convert or leave the church - well, not really, but her exposed shoulders displeased the staff.  However, the issue went unnoticed in our visits to the next couple of churches; San Michele in Foro, San Giovani, and San Pietro Somaldi.  Continuing into the depths of the old town, we toured Palazzo Pfanner.

Passeggiata delle Mura

Entering Palazzo Pfanner

Residence of Palazzo Pfanner

Garden

When we completed the first loop of the wall, we saw a beautiful garden near the north side of the city.  As we approached the second pass of the Mura, we took a path down towards the gardens to garner a better view.  There was a nominal admission fee, but we used the time to tour the residence and relaxed to the sight and scent of the tranquil landscape.  From the Palazzo Pfanner, we made our way to the Torre Guinigi, the tower with a hanging garden on the roof.  We enjoyed the panoramic views of the Tuscan hillsides surrounding Lucca and spotted our next destination, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, site of a former Roman Amphitheater.  Now, a collection of cafes and various stores line the elliptical Piazza.  Our time in Lucca was near its end, but we had just enough time to absorb the lively atmosphere.  After returning our bikes, we gathered our luggage and made our way to the train station - next stop, Pisa.

Under hanging garden on Torre Guinigi

San Frediano in distance and view of Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

Tuscany

Relaxing on a bench in Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

Panoramic from Torre Guinigi (West to North)

Panoramic from Torre Guinigi (North to East)