Day 6: The Leaning Tower of Pisa

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Monday, 24th October 2011

On the same afternoon we landed in Florence, we headed straight to the city of Pisa in order to free up time from the following day's packed itinerary. The local train to Pisa Centrale took a good 60 minutes from Florence passing through the charming Tuscany countryside flanked by houses on both sides of the rails.

Since train announcements were never made on local trains (kind of surprise given that we were on a tourist route), we had to be extra vigilant in order not to miss our intended stop. The assistance from the Italian lady on board did serve to assure us that we were indeed on the right direction.

From Pisa Centrale, the iconic Leaning Tower was another 25 minutes walk north of the station. Completed during the medieval times in 1173, the leaning tower stood firm among the likes of Duomo and Baptistry at the Cathedral Square (Piazza de Duomo).

Compared to the likes of Eiffel Tower, the "WOW" Factor for Pisa wasn't as divine as we hoped it to be. Even so, it still held a certain level of appeal as we went on to capture our favourite shots of the tower from the various vantage points.

Shortly after a decent pasta dinner from one of the trattorias in the city, it was time for us to head back to Florence. Of course, no visit to Florence would be complete without a serving of gelato from one of the many dessert stands scattered throughout the city.

Arugably, the city serve up one of the best gelatos in the country. (This was what I learnt from Mr F after I came back from Italy). And there was no reason to doubt it - absolutely.

Now, this is what I really called the "WOW" Factor in the city of Florence!

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