Pisa & Cinque Terre

---

We landed in Pisa on a balmy night and made our way to the camping ground we had found on the Internet earlier that day. This was made easier by the kindness of strangers who helped point us in the right direction. Once we had checked in and set up our tent in the dark (which was no small feat, considering it was our first time setting up this particular tent), we made a bee-line for the restaurant to dine on some pizza. I had been saving myself for some Italian pizza, always forcing myself to avoid looking at that part of the menu when we ate in France. Pizza is my favourite of all foods, and I plan on it forming the basis of my diet whilst in Italy. It would be an understatement to say that my first one was wholly satisfying!

After feasting, we decided to go and see what Pisa is really famous for - its tower which has an aversion to standing upright. Upon passing through the ancient city wall and entering Piazza dei Miracoli, we were both astonished at the sight before us. What we did not realise until this exact moment in time, is that the Leaning Tower is only one of three impressive (understatement) Romanesque buildings in the piazza. If it weren't for the fact that it's on a lean, then there is no doubt in my mind that this town would in fact be famous for the magnificent cathedral that takes centre stage amongst the green lawns of the piazza. Even though it was midnight, the sight of the three buildings (the third is the circular Baptistry) could not have made a greater impression if they were under the light of a simmering sun. The fact that there were very few people around at this time of the night added to the effect, as there was a sense of quiet that was not apparent the following day, due to the masses of tourists and people trying to sell you miniature models of the tower and other assorted toys, ranging from dancing donkeys and singing dolls to watches and bongo drums.

The cathedral is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture I have ever seen and the following day we ventured inside to better appreciate this stunning building. A particular highlight from inside was the enormous sculpted pulpit. If you were speaking from this particular perch, it would definitely be from a commanding position in the room!

As for the Leaning Tower, it certainly does defy all logic and the laws of physics to not fall over and make itself better acquainted with the ground below. Even though I expected it to be on a lean, I had no idea how dramatic it would actually be to the naked eye. Knowing that they corrected the lean to a small extent a few years back, it astounds me that it could have actually been on more of an angle than it is now and still be erect.

The other highlight from Pisa was definitely the food, especially the gelati from La Bottega del Gelato in Piazza Garibaldi, which fronts onto the River Arno. This gelati was so thick that it managed to maintain its shape when most of its mass was protruding well past the perimeter of the cone, which is even more remarkable when you consider the heat of an Italian summer!

We also decided to make a day trip to Cinque Terre seeing as we were so close to these five coastal villages. After figuring out the train system, we made our way to the first of the five villages (Riomaggiore) and began our day of walking. En route to the second village (Manarola), we stopped for a breakfast of bruschetta at a little establishment which allowed you to sit over the cliff and appreciate the stunning views of the coast and the rocks below. The water was so clear that we could clearly make out individual fish from a height of over twenty metres above the surface of the water, even being able to see the rocks that formed the ocean floor below. We spent the incredibly hot day walking between four of the villages, all of which are perched on the rocks that form the cliffs that stretch to the ocean below. Each village is very small, with Corniglia (our lunch stop) only having a population of 600 people, but the entire area is a national park and the food and wine is primarily from local farmers and fisherman, as vehicles cannot be used in the narrow lanes. Why they decided to plant vines and olive groves on such steep landscape, I'll never know. The buildings of the villages are all brightly coloured, ranging from yellow, red, orange and pink, creating a striking visual image when seen from a distance. The effect was made even more captivating by the seemingly precarious cliff-top positions of the houses. My favourite village was definitley Vernazza. This may have been influenced by the draining walk to get there in the sweltering heat, but I would like to think it was largely due to the lively vibe and the setting. The village spreads right down to the water's edge, with some houses even being built across natural stone arches where the water laps beneath. After a quick dip in the warm Ligurian Sea, it was time to make our way back to Pisa to buy our train tickets to Rome for the following morning. After another gelati by the river we headed back to camp for an early night before leaving the birth place of Galileo Galilei and seeing what has become of the settlement Romulus established after slaying his own brother...

---