Gunternation

We are Lonely Planet travelers. We’ve visited many European locations in the last year and the Lonely Planet guides have served us well. We’re thinking of changing the name of our blog to Bill and Sharon’s Guide to the Lonely Planet Guide. We do veer off LP plan based on need and desire, but the guides provide a helpful foundation for exploring new places.

Lonely Planet led us to many delicious meals during our week in Italy. In Pisa, we took a break from the Piazza dei Miracoli monuments to lunch on panini at one of Panetteria Focacceria’s sidewalk tables. We had our first of many simple and tasty sandwiches and also enjoyed some wonderful chocolate tarts.

On the way back to our hotel, we spied La Bottega del Gelato as we passed through Piazza Garibaldi and stopped for our first gelato. With frozen goodness in hand, we walked on to the River Arno and watched the sun set.

Our first Tuscan dinner, at La Grotta, had us puzzling over the Italian menu. Some terms were easy to decipher: Spaghettone, Ravioletti, Risotto, Zuppa. But we had to question the waitress about several dishes. In the end we took a few shots in the dark. Mom and Dad chose Le Animelle di Vitello sulla Crema di Zucca, as we understood this was veal. When the dish arrived it was declared tasty, but of a unusual character. Bill really liked it. The next day after reviewing an English menu I nicked on the way out (not sure why we weren’t given an English menu initially) we discovered Animelle is in fact sweetbreads, or thymus gland. Bill has knowingly ordered sweetbreads in the past, and Mom and Dad will both eat liver, so no one was harmed in this eating experiment. The rest of the dinner included risotto, some ravioli, and a few steak dishes. A favorite item was Fagioli all’Olio e Salvia–delicious, creamy white beans. My dessert was delightful–ricotta with a rich, dark chocolate sauce. Dad’s dessert came with a fruit garnish of cachi, which we determined was persimmon. Over the next few days we saw many persimmon trees, bare of leaves but laden with orange fruit.

After dinner we were offered caffe, or espresso. Being a coffee wimp (more whipped cream please), I surprised myself by ordering a teensy cup. When in Rome, er, Pisa, my friends–this espresso was delicious, with strong caramel notes and no bitterness. I had many espressos throughout the week (they are typically around €1.50), and while this first was my favorite, I enjoyed them all. They also served to balance the wine I had consumed with dinner, and never kept me awake. I’ve yet to try an espresso off the continent. It can’t be the same!

Note: I added a vid clip to the previous post.

The Baptistry of St. John stands to the West of the Cathedral in the Square of Miracles. The architectural grandeur of the medieval baptistry reflects the importance of the sacrament of baptism. Construction on the Romanesque base began in the mid-12th century, with the loggia, top story and the dome completed in the Gothic style in the 14th century.

The interior of the baptistry features a tiled floor with an octagon-shaped baptismal font. The eight-sided shape represents Christ’s resurrection on Sunday, the first day of the week made new, an eighth day in which we continue to live.

The baptistry features amazing acoustics which allow an individual to create ethereal harmonies. Click below to listen:

Turns out the baptistry leans 0.6 degrees toward the cathedral, so I thought I’d help out a little.

The other monument on the piazza is the Camposanto monumentale (monumental cemetery). The oblong Gothic cloister was built in the late 13th century over an existing burial ground. Note the slender mullions and plurilobed tracery of the inner court (divided windows and ribbed windows or vaulting). In addition to grave markers the Camposanto contains Roman sculpture and impressive frescoes from 14-17th centuries. The frescoes have been restored after the roof of the camposanto was set afire by allied bombs in WWII.

Several museums are also located near the piazza. We visited the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo which contains further examples of art work, craftsmanship and architectural features of the Piazza dei Miracoli monuments. The museum is tucked behind the campanile and provides excellent views of the tower.

Up Next: Eating in Pisa. (Yeah, you knew that was coming.)

Walking toward the Piazza del Duomo, the Cathedral Bell Tower came into view as we crossed the Piazza Ardvescovada. Approaching from the South, the tower seems rather impertinently upright. But as we rounded the corner into the Piazza del Duomo, or Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), the tower took on its familiar stance. Familiar indeed. I definitely had a “Wow, I am somewhere famous” moment. Even more so when verifying shots on the camera screen, seeing my smiling self right there in front of the Leaning Tower. I never dreamed of visiting Pisa. I’ve even held silently unflattering opinions of the tower, thinking it was a shoddy tourist trap somewhere with unfortunate peasants selling trinkets in its oddly cast shadow. While trinkets abound, my prejudice was undeserved–the tower is beautiful. A wedding cake of gleaming marble arches, the campanile definitely lists, and curves slightly, the result of attempts to correct the sinking tower during construction. The bell tower was installed in 1372, almost 200 years after the project began. It think it is the charm of this Building-That-Could that has secured the tower as an iconic image and may cause one to exclaim, “I’m at the Frickin’ Tower of Pisa!”

The tower does not tilt pensively in solitude. The Piazza dei Miracoli is also home to the Cathedral, or Duomo, the Baptistry and the Camposanto. The Romanesque 11th Century Duomo features a mosaic in the apse and
amazing wood inlay panels. I liked the the Romanesque cathedral–still ornate, but visually calmer than some Gothic cathedrals we’ve seen.

Next: Inside the Baptistry