Despite our plans to get up early, have a quick breakfast and hit the road to explore the Tower, we managed to leave by about 11am. Look, the breakfast offerings were expansive and delicious, and with several kinds of meals that needed to be tried (cereals, breads, fruits and savoury things like boiled eggs and ham) there was no way THIS happy little Vegemite was leaving early. I did stop to wonder, as I waddled out the door of the breakfast room, whether I'd overdone it again food-wise and doomed both of us to a day of moaning (and not in the good way), but as it turned out my fears were groundless as we spent a large portion of the day walking the breakfast off.
Pisa, at least the bits of it we saw from the car and then around the Tower, is a nice little city. The first thing that got my attention was the Pinus pinea, or Italian Stone Pine (or Umbrella Pine). I love these trees and hardly ever get to see them, so to be introduced to Italy with a sight of them from the hotel window was great. They scream "MEDITERRANEAN!" at you, but in a calmer, more welcoming way, like "Hi there. Welcome to the Mediterranean. Why not lie under my shade for a while? Can I get you something to drink?"
After that, though, all thoughts were directed to the Tower. How much does it really lean? Would it fall on anyone and would we be there to see it happen? Are there really people who stand a fair distance off and photograph their partner trying to make it seem like they were holding it in their hand?
Answers: A lot. No (booo). And yes:
The Duomo and Battistero are lovely to look at, too, as is the entire complex housing them all. And despite being packed with tourists it was quite a nice place to wander for an hour or so. Quiet (compared to Paris), with green lawns and beautiful architecture.
After the Tower we headed back to the car (parked sneakily for free not far away, under windows with women hanging out the day's washing) and began our journey inland. First stop: Lucca. Lucca had been recommended by B's brother-in-law, and he wasn't wrong. I saw more cathedrals this day than in my life up until that point - the place is PACKED with them - and, to be honest, I got a serious case of architectural-marvel burn-out. But, thankfully, Lucca has much more than that to offer - the canal, the beautiful gardens, the walls and the great walk you can take on top of them, and the best part for me: a tower with trees growing on top of it. The view from here over the city and the surrounding areas is amazing. You can see everything from tiny terraces on top of houses to other towns nestled in far-away hills. You can even be quizzed on the fundamental questions of the universe, like "Where is the happ(y)ness?"
As the sun came down and we descended from the tower it was time to find the car (sneakily parked again and again without penalty) and make our way to San Martino alla Parma to stay with one of B's friends and her family. Before that, though, we happened past a deli selling, of all things, slabs of lard. And what does one do with all that lard? You slice it thinly and lay it on toast for an aperatif, like ham. Mmmm... ?
RATING
A lot of walking, some beautiful things seen but a few too many cathedrals.
3.5/5
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