Quick Post: Pisa's Leaning Tower

Home to Galileo, Pisa is neatly situated just about an hour from Florence and about 20 minutes outside of Lucca (home to Puccini). The Arno laces around this small city as it flows towards the Mediterranean Sea. I've never had a strong inclination to visit Pisa, but I am happy that we had the opportunity. To be quite honest, I am truly a little worried about the tower- (it's really leaning... really badly... much more than I had guessed).


Arno River

Pisans are very, very proud of their tower and have spent inordinate amounts of money to maintain it's stability. There has been soil removed from underneath it's base and this has helped a little. I was told that researchers predict that the tower (intended to be a bell tower) had at least another 200 -300 years before it would collapse.



Galileo is thought to have tested his theories about gravity by dropping objects from the tower. Young Italians lay around in the grass and hold hands with their girlfriends and boyfriends. Tourists take cheesy photos here. Tacky street vendors think the tower should be strategically depicted on boxers that are sold for a few euros...

I took some photos and then I headed into the beautiful Duomo, Santa Maria Assunata. A pulpit by Nicolo Pisano is in the center of the medieval cathedral and it is also said that Galileo conceptualized the pendulum here (I heard these Galileo facts are myths.) Finally, the Battistrero is famous for it's acoustics.


Tuscan hillside near Pisa

The Arno streams from Florence into Pisa and this has caused a few problems among the Pisans and Florentines. For instance, the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence was initially lined with butcher shops. The Medici family disliked the odor and preferred that the Florentine merchants sell gold (as they still do today). Apparently, when Florentines got rid of their meat from the butcher shops they would throw it in the Arno and the meat eventually floated it's way to PIsa and the Pisans were furious.

Maybe it was karma, but Florence experienced a great flood and a few of the gold shops lost their entire inventory (in the Arno). Yes, this floated to Pisa. The Pisans liked this very much, but when the Florentines demanded their gold back, the Pisans just told them they had no idea what they were taking about...


picture taken en route to Pisa


So that's a little anecdote that I learned in Pisa. In the Middle Ages, these Tuscan city states were always battling for power. Siena and Florence were great rivals and incredibly rich cities. Pisa was wealthy as a result of the shipping business as it is near a port. Siena was a banking city. San Gimignano seemed to align with Florence during political tumult. Despite Tuscan culture being characteristically similar today; the lovely people take incredible pride in the history of their own city.

The remainder of the Pisa photos can be found here

A side note: I learned that my last name would be spelled Puglisi (if my family was Tuscan). Generally, southern Italian names have the suffix (-ese) and Northern Italians have (-isi). I knew my family was southern, but I didn't know this little tidbit. Our last name actually sounds pretty over here (for a change) and It's so nice to here it pronounced correctly. When Italians see our last name when we pay, they automatically go out of their way for us; it's very sweet.


A little taste of the organic farm we visited. I will post separately about it's incredible, family owned winery.

I have a few more things to share with you all. We took a day trip today to Milan for some shopping and touristy things. I had the good fortune of visiting a magnificent Goya exhibit (I'm a great fan of Goya). We also had a marvelous time at a winery that was incredible in every way. I want to post about San Gimignano as well.

Hope all of you are doing well!! Again, many thanks for the comments and emails. I am so thrilled you are enjoying this as I am.

Ouiser, you are making me laugh so much! Thank you darling!
Brigette, I left you a voicemail... I can't contain my excitement over a little something Miuccia made for you.

Link: Pisa

Love, B

"You may have the universe if I may have Italy."-Giuseppe Verdi