More Than A Tower

Field of Miracles at Pisa

 This past week we went on two excursions. On Friday we visited one of the hottest spots I've ever visited...Pisa. There is something about how it sits in the valley and has few trees that traps the heat and holds on tightly. Anyway that was an unwelcome surprise. The welcomed surprise was that the Leaning Tower sits on The Field of Miracles ( Campo dei Miracoli) which is stunning to behold. When you walk through the gated wall of the old city, you see an extensive stretch of incredibly green lawn and in the midst there are four lovely buildings: the Tower, the Duomo, the Bapistry and the Composanto Cementery. The Tower looks exactly like all the photos but is amazing nevertheless and there are MANY people taking the photo of their friend or loved one appearing to hold up the tower. Evidently the original builders knew fairly quickly that it was going to lean and they plus numerous others have tried to correct the problem without much success. We're talking about for hundreds of years...however, it is now stabilized and shouldn't continue to sink on one side. To climb it , one has to get a ticket for 15€ and reserve a time slot at least two hours out...neither of which I was inclined to do so all any of us did was gaze at the outside and take a picture.

I'm not holding up the tower

The other three buildings were more interesting to me and one was of some interest to Rider, the Bapistry. This particular Bapistry is unique for two reasons. First, the pulpit in it was carved by Nicolas Pisano and it is not only gorgeous but he is the father of the man who carved the pulpit in the Duomo right next door, Giovanni Pisano. So it was a father and son
thing akin to the the Adams and the Bushes in the USA but these guys definitely were more artistic. Both pulpits are amazing in their intricacies.

Detail on the pulpit
The second interesting fact is that the acoustics are so perfect that one can sing harmony with oneself as proven by a guard at the building. That's the part Rider liked. He loves echoes and when we have visited so many of these old, domed buildings, he has "crowed" happy sounds and then just gets a sparkle in his eyes as he hears the echoes.

As referenced, the Duomo has the lovely Pisano pulpit and a uniqueness of a Byzantine influence as evidenced by a enchanting mosaic on the dome behind the altar. Because Pisa was a long time trading partner with Turkey and the middle east, one can see a lot of Byzantine influence in the Duomo and it is breathtaking.The ever present Greek influence via the Romans is also omnipresent with statuary and such.The columns here are striped black and white marble and, as you can imagine, very striking.

The fourth building of this expansive architectural marvel is the buidling that is actually the site of a cemetery since ancient times filled with Roman sarcophagi and a large 14th century fresco.

Lovely sarcophagi

Mark explains....

The building is even constructed somewhat of Roman tombstones.There's a beautiful courtyard that is said to hold dirt brought back from the Crusades and will actually turn a dead body in to bones in a single day. I saw no evidence that could be true but if you believe it , I have a bridge....

Notice any bones?

Rider was tolerant of all this touring and especially liked crawling on the grass but we waited a little too long for lunch and the restaurant was a challenge!
                                                                                    

Rider is ready to move
Afterward, we trekked back to the car during which Betsy almost was pick pocketed! Fortunately she thwarted the woman by slapping her hand as she was delving in Betsy's purse. We came back to Capitignano very hot and tired but determined to regroup for Siena on the next day!

Since I'm a praying woman, I prayed for a cooler day. Life is simple here.