July 22, 2012
In route to our third night in Lucca, we made a brief stop in Pisa for a look at the Leaning Tower and a quick lunch. Before exiting the bus we were warned of gypsies and pickpockets who have taken up the appearance of fellow tourists, usually young girls traveling in a group of 4 or 5. We managed to avoid any theft despite the immense crowds.
There was not much to see in Pisa. The central square contained the Leaning Tower, Basilica and an indoor cemetery as well as a many vendors and a few side streets with cafes. Outside of this central area held more venders (note 95% of vendors both outside and inside the square sold knockoff products made in China) and a few more restaurants.
Central square of Pisa
Classic photo holding up the tower
Side street lined with ristorantes
First pizza of the trip with prosciutto di parma
Avventura 
There is SO much more to Pisa than the Tower….sorry you only got to visit that one area of town. The historic area close to the center of town is amazing, and the stroll on the river beautiful. Be sure and look at the photos on our blog, so that if you are ever there again you can see more “local” fun and maybe go to the daily food market that is fantastic. Pizza looks yummy!!
Oh! I would have loved to see it! We only stopped for a little over an hour. Just enough to see the tower and grab a bite. I’ll definitely check out your blog!
The baptistry is an undervisited gem in Pisa, not for its looks but for its magical acoustic qualities. If you ever go again, make sure you go into the baptistry and wait until the staff close the door and begin the demonstration… I won’t say any more so as not to spoil the surprise but it was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.
The first two shots in this post are particularly great! 🙂
Our guide mentioned the acoustics! She highly recommended it, but sadly with the line of people and our limited time in Pisa we had no choice but to skip. Next time! 🙂
Ah, I’m glad she mentioned it, what a shame about the line!