A Break in Italy

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When we first discussed our European adventure with the girls we showed them pictures and maps and tried to get them excited about travel. Luckily our efforts have panned out and they are as excited as we are when we go someplace new. Of course it may prove harder to leave them behind with friends and grandparents should Mom and Dad find a way to escape once we get home! During our studies with them they became hooked on seeing a few sights in particular while we were here. Abigail was all about castles. Emma was most interested in the Eiffel Tower. They both wanted to see the London Bridge (we didn't bother explaining where it was really located) and they were dying to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We decided to skip out of a trip to London considering the current state of the dollar versus the pound and so I thought we should investigate the possibilities of getting them to the final sight on their list. Their interest in this site was made more feverish when their friend Amelia went this summer and they saw all the pictures of her holding the tower up. Add to this that Jonathan has never been to Italy and believed that he was destined never to set foot in the country and our failed plans to go to Rome in October and I felt it my mission to see us in Italy at some point this year. Luckily, once again, Ryanair was there for us.

I found more one cent flights in and out of Pisa and though I wanted to make it a week long adventure Jonathan had that pesky thing called work which turned my plans into a brief weekend long glimpse at Tuscany. The nice thing about flying into Pisa is that it was completely unlike going to Barcelona which flew us into Girona, an hour bus ride from the city. We literally could WALK into Pisa from the airport (though we did take a five minute bus ride). However, unlike our magical trip to Spain the weather in Italy was just as cold as Belgium. Fortunately we had to bundle up for our bike ride to the train station so we were covered on the layered clothing front but did do battle with the wind all weekend. We had a terrific flight down to Pisa on the 16th as both Abigail and Eliza napped the whole way while Emma listened to her mp3 player and colored. Ahh, peace.

Once in Pisa we walked the streets looking for our hotel. We got a pretty good deal using Priceline-europe.com and our room, which slept five comfortably also included breakfast. The buildings of Pisa are slightly run down, in that 'we've been here for 2000 years' sort of way. The city had a very vibrant pulse to it. The chilly winds didn't stop any of the natives from stepping out and shopping and enjoying the Italian Christmas markets. On our walk through the alleys we stopped at our first pizza shop. They weigh it and charge you by weight, which was a different thing for us. But boy did we enjoy it!! How could the girls not like Italy with the pizza, pasta and gelato? It is like a kids culinary paradise (not to mention the adults, but more on that later). We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and then wandered across the Arno River and found our hotel, The Hotel Verdi. The hotel was fine, nothing super special, but certainly more than adequate for our needs for two nights. Once settled and unpacked we decided to immediately cross the big sight off our list and headed out to the leaning tower.

More ambling around little alleyways and through, once palatial, piazzas and we found our first glimpse of the tower over the buildings. Much like Emma's built up angst about the Eiffel Tower Abigail was initially disappointed by the Leaning Tower, shouting in a way that only Abigail can, "it isn't even leaning!!" Now why did we spend two cents to take her here anyways?? Once we walked the grounds of Camp dei Miracoli even Abigail could see that it did in fact lean (though not as much as it did at one point) and they all got a big kick out taking the typical tourist pictures of us all holding it up. The Campo dei Miracoli is really a stunning place, with our without the tower, and the dramatic cathedral central to it all really struck us all. Jonathan kept commenting how different Italy was from any place we had been but how now having seen some of it he could really see the Roman influences all throughout Europe. We almost didn't go into the cathedral, happy just to wander in the brisk sunshine, but eventually the cold winds picked up and drove us inside. What a sight. It was completely different than any cathedral we had been in to date. Begun in 1064 it is covered in alternating bands of dark green and cream marble and has spectacular 16th century bronze doors on the main entrance. The huge interior is lined with 68 columns and the unusual style is a reminder than many Arabs worked on constructing the church.

Also on the grounds are the unusual, round battistero (baptistry), the leaning tower and part of the old city wall. The campanile (bell tower, or better known as the Leaning Tower) was begun in 1173. Barely 2 m above sea level the ground proved unsuitable for such an undertaking and shortly after construction began it was abandoned. Over the years as the tower continued to lean various architects and engineers attempted to right it and by 1993 it was 4.47 m out of whack, more than five degrees from the vertical. It was closed to the public and a massive study began to try and correct the problem, or at least stabilize the tower. 1000 tonnes of lead ingots were placed on the northern side in a bid to counteract the sinking southern side, but in 1995 the tower slipped another 2.5 m. In 1999 a new solution was attempted which consisted of slinging steel braces around the 3rd story and attached them to hydraulic A-frame cables. While this held the tower in place engineers extracted 70 tons of earth from the northern side and the tower was returned to its state in the 18th century. Experts claim this solution should keep it in place for the next three centuries, but then again, they have been wrong before!

After our history lesson, pictures and some chapped cheeks we decided to make our way back to the hotel and warm up. Along the way we stopped at a jewelery store and got a charm for Emma's charm bracelet and then stopped at a cafe for pastries and our first Italian coffee. Jonathan was so excited: it was true that they really made the best coffee. Warmed we walked back through town in the dusk to the hotel. I think it is probably a good thing we are heading home in a month because we wouldn't be able to do as much touring this winter which would probably get us (okay, me) a little frustrated. We will have to look forward to adventures next summer. While the girls played at the hotel and jumped on the beds we investigated dinner options. After walking around we ended up at the first restaurant we had seen, La Pergoletta. Holy smokes!

This meal was worth the trip alone. When we first walked in I thought it might be a bit fancy for our jeans and weathered look but the staff was so friendly and inviting that we thought we would give it a try. Plus, they had a kids meal for five euros including pasta, juice and gelato. With the kids settled into coloring (this has become a staple and a lifesaver) and a flute of proseco in our our hands we relaxed and tackled the menu. We were tempted to order one of everything but ended up deciding to share an antipasti and primi course. The antipasti was a mixed plate of various appetizers, meats, cheeses, quiches, and snacks. Wonderful. The primi was an egg noodle shaped into a pouch filled with pears and a ricotta-esque cheese. It was unbelievable. We had a wonderful bottle of red Italian wine while the girls ate everything on their plates. Their pasta was so good that Emma suggested we return to this restaurant every night. Craving some red meat I had a delectable steak while Jonathan feasted on an octopus stew. They were both spectacular. The girls has a superb home made vanilla cookie gelato while we finished our wine and determined how we could walk home after eating so much. Jonathan just smiled and said, Happy Anniversary, when he received the bill, but he agreed the whole dining experience was worth every cent.

We made it home and had the kids in bed a little before 10pm. They fell fast asleep while Jonathan checked out train schedules on line in the lobby. It was a wonderful first day in Italy.

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Photos

Pisa and the Arno River
As we wandered to our hotel this was our first look at Pisa along the Arno.

First Pizza
Eliza enjoying her first slice of real Italian pizza!

More of Pisa
I love all of the different light posts everywhere so I am partial to this shot Jonathan took of one of the buildings we walked past.

The Girls at Pallazzo dei Cavalieri
The pallazzo is named after the Knights of St. Stephen, a religious and military order founded by Medici.

Campo dei Miracoli
On the grounds you can see the battistero in the foreground and the amazing cathedral in the background.

Italian Christmas Market
The city was full of lights and markets everywhere.

Comments

[Mom]

Leaning...
That is so unbelievavle. I knew it leaned, but the picture is sooo impressive. Thanks for sharing!