Pisa: much more than ancient ruins
I hope you’ve been enjoying our Chocolatour through Europe. Our next stop is Pisa, Italy.
I must say Pisa really surprised me. I expected only an old dilapidated Leaning Tower. I didn’t know that the Leaning Tower is part of a large grouping of impressive historic buildings and that the Leaning Tower is far from being dilapidated. It has recently been cleaned and is almost sparkling white! Much restorative work has been done to many of Italy’s historic treasures and touring Pisa is sure to please.
there are a number of beautiful historic buildings nestled into the square where you’ll find the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The food is amazing. What else is new? Good food and libations is always top of my list. No wonder I love Italy!
So we were very grateful at the choice of hotel that Fabrizio Quochi, our friendly contact at the Pisa Tourist Board had made for us. The NH Cavalieri is literally across the street from the Centrale train station and is a surprisingly lovely place with a terrific restaurant. I liked the Tuscan pasta with olives so much I ordered it twice during our stay! It was excellent. The feather-light pasta was served with black olives and a delicious red sauce with plenty of fresh parmesan cheese. Served of course, with a local hearty Chianti Classico. Magnifico!
the wonderful meal I had (twice!) at the NH Cavalieri Hotel
Later, we enjoyed the local specialty, Cecina, a chickpea pizza cooked in a wood oven. Have it with Spuma, a favourite Pisan soda (much like Mountain Dew) to really feel like you’re enjoying life like a lucky resident of Pisa. You can get both at Pizzeria Filippo, just a short walk from the NH Cavalieri.
The nice thing about Pisa is that is has a terrific location with easy accessibility by air, train, bus or sea. Ryan Air has an increasing presence in Pisa, so you can fly directly there from a number of destinations. And just 45 minutes south of Pisa, we were able to gain access to a wonderful beach in Tirrenia, where we could stroll and swim. For just two Euros, we took a public bus from Pisa to the beach and spent the day just enjoying the sun and surf and watching the local fishermen.
enjoying a view of the beach in Tirrenia at a Tuscan restaurant
Don’t miss the next post as we continue touring Pisa. And yes … there will be chocolate!
Hi Doreen
I agree in that there is more to Pisa than the tower. I will admit when I saw the tower from a distance I thought that’s not much. Looks more impressive once you can see the carvings on the architecture. I definatly found the huge building standing along side really I the resting to walk round. Thought 10 euro to walk up the tower was a bit steep. Got to be done though.
I love Italy fond memories lee
Welcome to the blog, Hilda. Thanks for subscribing.
Lucky you for having spent a week in Pisa! Our visit was considerably shorter, but we certainly took in as much as we could! As you say, there are so many things so near Pisa, it makes for a good hub to see much of Tuscany. I’d love to go back when the weather was warmer. We were there at the beginning of October, and although it was pleasant (and Virginia even swam in the Mediterranean Sea) it was a bit too cool for my liking. But strolling along the beach was indeed lovely and I wish we’d had more time there.
Doreen this reminded me of our trip last year to Pisa and Tuscany. Bruce and I spent at week in Pisa as he was attending a conference sponsored by the University of Pisa so I can relate to Virginia’s comment! I enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets. Our hotel was within eyesight of the Leaning Tower. I went to Florence one day with some spouses and to Lucca, a walled town close by. My seaside day was to Viareggio where three of us had to rent two deck chairs and a parasol for $30 Euros!
I would love to visit Italy one day and see this. I love Italian food and I love the ltitle history I know about Italy. One day I will go. Nice article. Thanks
Thanks, Virginia and Ian for chiming in. Ian, welcome to the blog & it’s nice to have met you on Twitter. It’s so much fun sharing our travel experiences. I hope you’ll drop by here again soon.
Virginia, I love the way you bring historic detail to my posts. As you know, I’m not much of a history buff and cut straight to the chase: gluttony indeed! Food, libations and other off-the-meter treats such as CHOCOLATE! Thanks again for joining me on this tasty journey and making it a most memorable trip.
Caught the NE coast of Italy in my youth, but missed Pisa & a bunch more. Northern cuisine is so fantastic! The meats … Way off the drool meter now!
As Doreen mentions, Ryan Air is using Pisa as its base for Tuscan travel, rather than the more expensive hub in Florence. That has had an interesting impact on tourism. Now, instead of just swooping in by bus to the the city’s north end to see the Tower and then moving on to other destinations, tourists are ambling through the centre of the city from the airport & hotels in the south. On the 20 minute walk up the “Via Roma” to the Tower, they encounter ancient university buildings that have housed Nobel prize winners and future Popes, 14th century student graffiti, and lots of lively bars and shops. There’s nothing like an ancient university town – especially one with such an illustrious past – to instill a sense of awe. And that’s all before you get to the tower and the nearby cemetery with its shocking frescoes (I’ve never forget the image for “Gluttony”, Doreen: the stuff of nightmares given our mission).
Unexpected bonus: the quick bus trip to sea, and a beach that we had mostly to ourselves that day. Wonderful. Pisa: 4/5