We're using are country-side rental as a jumping off point to all there is to see and do in the Tuscany region...which is a lot, so we decided on our first full day to head north to get another tourist attraction out of the way -- the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The forecast was also for a 100% chance of rain.
Pisa is located about 90 kilometers north of the Chianti border where we are but there is also another town on the way there called Lucca that is referred to as "Tuscany's Best Kept Secret" or the "Jewel of Tuscany" making the lengthy drive well worth it. After a pit stop back at the car rental to exchange the car we had rented the day before (which is a whole other story) we were off.
Sure enough, the tower is leaning, like really leaning, and after taking the classic photos of attempting to hold up the tower, something almost more exciting than the tower itself happened; we ran into friends from NYC, Scott and Haley Starkin and Haley's entire family....right there next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Rich used to work with Scott a long time ago and they have remained friends. They got married last year in a beautiful wedding at The Boathouse in Central Park and that was the last time we saw them before moving to Korea. They had just arrived the day before, all here for Haley's parents' 40th wedding anniversary and had rented a villa about half an hour south of us. They invited us over for steaks the following night and we parted ways, both on our way to Lucca. What a serendipitous moment!
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| The tower is simply the campanile or bell tower of the Cathedral of Pisa. |
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It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square
after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. |
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. The tower has 296 or 294 steps;
the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.
Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001,
the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. |
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Construction of the tower occurred in three stages across 177 years.
The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178.
This was due to a mere three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil. Construction was subsequently halted for almost a century, because the Republic of Pisa was almost continually engaged in battles with Genoa, Lucca and Florence. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled.
In 1272 construction resumed and in an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved. |
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| And this is Scott Starkin, completely surprised, after finding out the man behind him demanding that he give him all his money was only Rich. |
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| Rich and I with The Starkin's. |
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We then stopped by Lucca, despite the heavy rain.
Lucca is known for wonderful restaurants, antiques and it's incredible music festivals. |
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Lucca's most stunning feature though are the ancient brick wall that was built around the entire city in the 16th
century for defense. The entire wall is still in tact making Lucca the only town
in all of Italy that's completely walled in. |
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| More roses. I literally can't get enough...or enough pictures. |
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| Even in the rain, Lucca was a wonderful place to wander through. |
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| Beautiful antique shops are everywhere along with tented markets in the squares with less expensive finds. |
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| Love the green door and the Italian flag above it. |
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On top of the wall that encircles the town.
On a sunny day this would be the ideal place to bike. |
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| Doing the dishes after a spaghetti dinner. |
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