Pisa

Wednesday 2/25- Well, the day started with a few minor hiccups. I had no bath towels save for a facecloth and the bath mat. The phone button for reception didn't work and I really did not want to get dressed to go downstairs and tell them I needed towels. So, I made do with the bath mat. The other issue was that the internet which I had paid 2 euros for the night before still didn't work, and I needed to send my funding request to the department immediately. After a solid breakfast, I told them about the towels and internet problems and she told me there were issues with my wing of the hotel. I brought my laptop to the lobby and got it to work luckily.

I checked out, left my bags, and set out to the leaning tower, et al. On the way, there were some interesting ruins of some Roman baths. From there I walked toward the rear façade of the cathedral I could see in the distance. Seeing the leaning tower is sort of a surreal experience. It is so iconic that when you actually see it in person, you almost shrug and think nothing of it. Then you put all the pieces together and really appreciate the beauty of the structure, the harmony of its parts. And, of course, its famous tilt. After gawking for a bit, I went to get tickets for it all. €8 euros for both museums, the baptistery and the Camposanto. To climb the tower was €15!! But I had to do it, and they know that. But I have to say, the grounds and every building were in great shape, and they are currently restoring the frescoes of the Camposanto and cleaning the tower. That's more than I can say about the Vatican.

I ambled around the Cathedral first, since that closed in about 30 minutes. The absolute height of Italian Romanesque, and almost a Renaissance unto itself. There is not one standout part, just well executed all around. The best part is that when they stopped allowing new people into the church, they didn't yell at those of us still inside to leave. Instead, we were allowed to finish at our leisure, and thus I got some empty church shots, so hard to get in Pisa.

I had time to see the inside of the baptistery, so I did so subsequent to examining the doors and reliefs on the front of the church. The baptistery is similar architecturally to the church with arched colonnades in two stories. The second floor gallery was accessible, too. Just before leaving, I was incredibly lucky. A woman who worked there went under the rope surrounding the center area and shouted "silencio per favore", which was weird because there were only a few other people inside besides myself and it was pretty quiet. Then she started singing descending notes in clusters of three. After each set she paused to let us hear the reverberations and the resultant combinatorial chords formed by the echoes. She did this probably four times in about thirty seconds, but I will never forget it. Awesome experience.

My time to climb the tower was almost at hand. After some more pictures of the monuments, I sauntered over to check my camera bag (they are really strict about security in the tower). Then I climbed in a big group up the winding staircase until we all emerged on the very top, and I mean the very top. The only thing higher was the flag pole. Amazing view of the cathedral and baptistery, as well as the city, the walls, and the snow-capped Appenines. It was super clear today with an azure, cloudless sky, and about 50-55 degrees. Perfect. All worth the €15.

Next was the Camposanto, which I knew about through Art History classes. In pre WWII days, most visitors (mainly educated men) who came to Pisa came for the frescoes and tombs in the Camposanto. During the war, a fire bomb destroyed much of the site. They are attempting to restore the paintings in a monumental project. The building was nearly empty. All of the Japanese tourists flock to the tower, then the cathedral, a handful to the baptistery and none in the Camposanto or the museums. That was fine with me. Unbeknownst to me, all around the cloister were Roman sarcophagi, reused by prominent medieval Pisans. There were even three child sarcophagi for me to examine and photograph.

Lastly, there were two museums- the first being the Sinopie Museum, which contains extremely large preparatory sketches for the Camposanto frescoes. Totally empty. The other museum, the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo, holds the treasury as well as medieval sculptures and other works that 19th century Pisans eschewed. In the last galleries I got to, there was ancient art- a few Egyptian fragments, some Etruscan cinerary urns, and Roman portraits, urns, and sarcophagi- I had no idea. Now Pisa was in no way unrelated to my studies. I was happy, but just as I got to the last work, a child's urn, the guard said it was time to leave. Always finishing at the bell for me. All finished with the buildings, there was only one thing to do: ask a Japanese girl to take a picture of me holding up the tower. Now my life is complete.

After getting my bag I headed back to the hotel, stopping here and there to snap a pic and to get a couple of slices of pizza and a fanta for a very late lunch/early dinner. I wheeled my bag the distance to the station, and got on a train for Florence. I've got to say that so far (knock on wood) my Italian train experience has been without problems.

Arriving in Florence after dark, I wheeled my bag to my hotel just as I have so many times before. My room is non-descript but serves the purpose, plus the location is great. I also did my lay of the land walk, this time around the Duomo and up the the Piazza S.S. Annunciata to scope out the Museo Archeologico. The cathedral is an unbelievable gem and it is good to see it once more. With so many Americans (they are EVERYWHERE) I feel almost at home, but at the same time oddly embarrassed and make it a point to speak my pigeon Italian as best as possible. It must be all the semester abroad programs- they all end up in Florence for some reason. Dinner was more pizza and a gelato. So endeth the twenty-third day.

Lots of pics- it was a great experience:

Even the card is four stars

Hotel room in Pisa

Bathroom in Pisa

Narrow street in Pisa

Dome in the Roman Baths

Still the king of self-timer shots

Campanile

Cathedral- ceiling

Cathedral- interior decoration

Cathedral- lectern by Giovanni Pisano

Cathedral- St. Ranieri

Cathedral- interior decoration detail

Cathedral- Apse mosaic

Cathedral- Dome

Cathedral- sacred icon

Cathedral- angel

Cathedral- strange stairs

Cathedral- obligatory artsy shot

Cathedral- Interior without anyone

Cathedral- St. John the Baptist

Cathedral- Façade

Cathedral- Detail of portal

Baptistery- Dome

Baptistery- St. John the Baptist

Baptistery- climbing to gallery

Baptistery- Looking down from gallery

Baptistery- Interior

Façade of Cathedral

Baptistery, Cathedral and Tower

Baptistery

Baptistery with sun

Climbing the bell tower

Why it's called a bell tower

View from tower- looking north

View from tower- Cathedral complex

View from tower- not great pic of me

View from tower-Pisa

View from tower-Camposanto

View from tower- griffin on church

View from tower- Distant Appenines

View from tower- people lounging outside Baptistery

View from tower- Capitoline wolf

Detail of church

Spolia on the rear of the church

Flag of Pisa atop tower

Cathedral gargoyle detail

Cathedral façade detail

Baptistery detail

Baptistery detail

City walls

Camposanto- exterior wall

Camposanto- front porch thing

Camposanto- detail of front porch thing

Camposanto- detail

Camposanto- Fibonacci's grave

Camposanto

Camposanto- fresco of builders

Camposanto- fresco of carpenters

Camposanto- the universe

Camposanto- I photographed each of those sarcophagi x~2.5 for other sides

Camposanto

Camposanto- more surviving frescoes

Camposanto- clearly a pirate's grave

Camposanto- strange Mithraic relief

Camposanto- child's sarcophagus with cupids

Camposanto- child's sarcophagus with cupids racing

Camposanto- child's sarcophagus with playing cupids

Camposanto

Camposanto- Funerary stele in an attic style

Camposanto

Museo Sinopie- preparatory sketch

The tower that leans

Yes, my life is complete now

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo- Madonna and child, John the Baptist with patron, and St. John the Evangelist by Giovanni Pisano, 1306

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo- Reliquary from Limoges

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo- Madonna and child by Giovanni Pisano, 1299

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo- statue of a girl, mislabeled as a woman

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo- Etruscan cinerary urns

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo- Julius Caesar

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo- Ahhh- just one more picture, please- a child's sarchophagus

Sunset in Pisa

Interior of San Sisto

Chiesa di Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri