The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Eons of years back, when I was still in my elementary days, I heard about this peculiar tower from my father. He is a retired seafarer and has visited this leaning tower in one of his journeys.

Fast forward to present, I never thought that I would see with my own eyes the same tower that my father has told me. What made the event more memorable was that the wife and I were celebrating our silver wedding anniversary when I saw the famous “Leaning Tower of Pisa.

From Florence we booked a local train to Pisa Centrale Station. The trip lasted for around 45 minutes. Along the way we observed and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of rural Italy.

From the train station it took us another 30 min of fast paced walk to reach the tower. We couldn’t afford to lose precious time since we have to return back to Florence to catch our train trip back to Rome in the evening.

Flea market. I bought vintage diecast model cars from here at 5 Euro each

On our way to the tower we crossed Arno River through Ponte di Mezzo; this is the same river that extends up to Florence. We passed at Church of Saint Michael, Largo Parlascio and other historical buildings and ruins. Cafes, bars, resto and lodging houses abound in this side of the river. We are not surprised anymore since a few hundred meters away is the leaning tower of Pisa.

Almost there

It was a terrific moment seeing the leaning tower from afar. The wife and I were speechless as we approach the cathedral Square where the tower is located.

Cathedral Square

 

   

 

We loitered around the Baptistery, Campo Santo and Duomo di Pisa. We forego the idea of climbing the tower since I didn’t want to have another panic attack like the one I experienced while climbing up Arc de Triomphe; the wife was tired too.

 





Don't push it boy!





As expected, hordes of visitors are trying their best to appear on their shots supporting the Pisa from further tilting. The whole place is like a huge park minus the picnics.

After an hour we opted to leave the place and searched for gelato. Famished and tired we devour our gelato mixed with fresh fruits in no time at all. The wife went online and communicated with the kids.

If not for the leaning tower this place could be like any other ordinary European parks dotted with historical churches and structures. A few hours of stay is enough to enjoy the scenery and the place.

Feeling rested, we trekked back to Pisa Centrale train station and bought souvenirs from small shops that we passed by. Fortunately, our train tickets allowed us to take any train back to Florence within a couple of hours thus we embark on the first train that stopped in Pisa on its way back to Florence; we had enough time to have our dinner at Florence train station before our trip back to Rome.

I hope that our kids will be able to visit this place too in the future.