A Piece of Pisa

Breaky in the Hostel was followed by a brisk walk through very quiet Florence streets to the train station. It was busy here with the place teeming with thousands of people all looking expectantly at one thing or another in order to get where they needed to go. We needed to get to Pisa in order to fulfil our touristy obligations. We were certainly not in the minitory. However as it was Sunday there were heaps of seats and the train, whilst old and musty – it still flew through the Tuscany countryside at a great pace. We were duly deposited in Pisa in just over an hour to find the town well and truly shut (except of course those establishments relying on the tourist trade). This was actually a blessing as we got to wander our way up to the main attractions on quiet streets. It was hot and muggy in those closed in corridors and it was pleasant to be faced with a cool breeze when we finally reached the emerald green lawns of the Campio dei Miracoli.

About a thousand years ago they decided this would be a great place to build impressive stuff. Looks like they forgot to do a soil drill test before-hand. Consequently they have been struggling with the decision ever since. Well the engineers have – the civic leaders must love having such an effective earning attraction in their midst. It’s nice to see the marble taken from the Colosseum was put to good use, as the buildings are very ornate and are positively gleaming after their recent scrubbing..



The emerald green lawns are kept that way by a policeman who walks around blowing his whistle very loudly in tourists’ ears advising them to stay off the grass. This is quite funny to watch as the tourists have no idea as there are no signs to say this is the rule and they are all very much focused on getting pictures of themselves pretending to either knock the tower over or save it from falling.
Having a whistle screech in your ear followed by a tirade of Italian authority adds to the overall experience. What makes this a perfect situation comedy is the Authority himself walks all over the precious turfHaving experienced this slice of the town (and nothing else) we headed back to the train station and shot back to Florence enjoying more rustic Tuscany scenes flash past. The trains might not be the fast ones but they still move very quickly.

Tomorrow we head to another Italian engineering decision gone wrong (this one surrounded by water). It’s interesting they can do so well by admitting to their mistakes and instead of fixing them; they just suggest that everyone should come and have a look.