I rarely travel in the middle of the summer, mainly to avoid the crowds. But no matter how much I try to pretend that I’m an intrepid explorer, diverging from the norm, practicalities of life this year mean taking a break in July. Yeah, with all those horrible tourists.
In fact, this trip is a repeat – in part – of a journey I first took in 2020. However, it couldn’t be more different. My choice of Pisa was made during the Covid pandemic, when choices were severely limited. Italy was one of the few places where people from the UK were permitted to travel – in between two arduous lockdowns. So it’s good to be back here on a scorching Sunday afternoon. Though it’s not just any old Sunday.
The near-deserted bridge over the River Arno gives a false sense of calm. The cafes are not quite buzzing – though a few are, with the sound of tennis on the TV. There’s modest interest in the performance of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz winning his second title. But there’s more to this day if you are Spanish – or English – because tonight it’s the final of Euro 2024.
Actually, finding somewhere decent to watch the game looked like a bit of a challenge. This part of Italy doesn’t have a tradition of sports bars as such, But a grateful crowd gathers into the convivial outdoor bar at La Nunziatina, which happens to be just around the corner from my hotel.
Football wasn’t coming home, at least not to England, thanks to a last minute goal for Spain. However, it did mean a relatively early night, and plenty of time to explore.
24 hours in Pisa
The Corsa de Italiano is about as central as things get in Pisa and it’s the location for my hotel, just on the curve to the right of this picture. It may be a great location, even if the interior has an air of faded glory about it. My room feels like a scene from the 1970s, but at least it has decent air conditioning and a fairly no den bathroom,
Breakfast can best be described as “light”, or to put it more clearly, in need of a second breakfast shortly afterwards. For th price I’m paying in the middle of July – about £70 per night – it really doesn’t matter.
Like just about everywhere in Italy, spectacular buildings are never far away. It’s about. 20 minute walk from the River Arno in the middle of the city to the famous leaning tower. But don’t rush, or you’ll miss the sights on the way. In Garibaldi Square stands an impressive three story building that was once a casino for the well to do. The nobles bought the land that was one a monastery and built their gaming hall. the games may be over today but it’s still a centre of entertainment in its own way, housing a bar, a restaurant and a nearby cafe that serves some of the best gelato in town.
Second breakfast consumed, it was time to learn something. Pisa is a long-established University city, and its campus of colleages stretches across the city. But at the heart is the Piazza dei Cavalieri – Knight’s Square. It was once the centre of civic life – the central building housing Pisa’s town hall.
Its amazingly intricate ornate decoration was an early for of graffiti – though in reverse. The artworks were carved into the exterior plaster while still wet. Today the town hall houses one of the most prestigious university colleges in the city. And although you can’t drink from the fountain, you can have a selfie.
He wanted to swim but I said no.
There are plenty of less interesting university buildings in this district that slowly peter out towards the city walls. And as you approach them, there is a steady but growing hum in the air. Suddenly, rounding a nondescript corner, the grand daddy of Pisa’s piazzas opens up. The Piazza dei Duomo. Cathedral Square. Though most of the thousands of visitors assembling here aren’t that fussed about going to church. They’re looking in the other direction.
The fact is that all of the buildings on this square lean due to the soft sandstone below. The tower leans the most – 17.5 feet from the vertical at the top. So serious was the angle that in the early 2000s an extensive safety project was undertaken, which experts say should mean the tower is safe for another 200 years.
There’s not doubt that it is spectacular. But I’ve climbed it once before and see no reason to do it again; not least because you’re tied to a specific time slot, and at this time of the year they get booked up fast. However, it doesn’t really matter, because for the modest fee of 11 Euro you can see the square’s other buildings at your leisure.
The Baptistry – like every other building – is filled with visitors today. It offers a much more civilised – and shorter – climb than it’s leaning cousin. Only one window on the upper floor is fully open, but it’s the one giving you arguably the best view round here.
If the Baptistry is all about giving birth, the the adjacent Camposanto is all about death. Designed as an elegant cemetery for rich Pisans, it features intricate frescos dating back to the fourteenth century, and is a quiet pace of reflection – even though today the peace is disturbed by some rather noisy restoration work that makes it sound like they’re cutting up body parts.
It’s a blisteringly hot afternoon, but Pisa’s winding street offer plenty of shade and places to relax. It’s one of the things I like most about this place – despite a bustling visitor economy, nothing seems rushed or forced. Sure, there are a few hawkers hanging around the touristy restaurants, but none of it feels intimidating. In this heat, it’s hard to get too animated about anything.
TravelCaster 
Leave a comment