Pisa: She's More Than Just a Pretty Tower

This is why I think it is important to use a variety of travel guidebook and travel forums and to do your own research. If I just followed Rick's advice we would see the Randstaad in the Netherlands and then be on our way. Instead we have used a variety of resources and have been all over the country to truly get a picture of Dutch life outside of Amsterdam and Haarlem. Friesland is practically another country and it is never mentioned in his books and Zeeland is a coastal beauty that shouldn't be missed, not to mention the islands...

Not all guidebooks target the same audience. That's why I use Rick's books and supplement with Rough Guide or Lonely Planet for areas that aren't his focus - they fit my preferred style. Michelin Green is targeted at more upscale travelers, ones who might think the large hotels in Monterosso are the only sensible choice for Cinque Terre. Pisa is a more comfortable home base for those who prefer that style. Wonder which place the Let's Go series, targeted at younger travelers, emphasizes.

Another possible reason for the difference is that Rick is selective in the places he covers. He suggests the best (a relative term) destinations for his readers' limited vacation time and gives short or no coverage to the rest. Other guidebooks try to be more comprehensive.

I've read posts on this site by people who spent a few days in Pisa and loved it. My observation from a couple of short visits is that Pisa is more fast paced than nearby cities like Lucca. Maybe it's like so many other Italian towns, much more charming once all the day trippers have departed.

Frank addressed the guidebook differences with his usual thoughtful analysis. I just now edited the title of the topic to be more what I'd had in mind, the immediate cause of my original post was another spate of advice against visiting Pisa. Are we giving Pisa a balanced review here? IMO we are not, for the reasons given in the original post.

I'll weigh in on the pro-Pisa side. We did it as a day trip from Lucca. The tower was undergoing repairs at the time, so we couldn't climb it. However, even with the scaffolding and green netting around parts of it, to me, it was marvelous to see, up close, this icon. There's also a small museum, which gives you a better understanding of why the tower leans and how they're dealing with the problem. The duomo is beautiful; and the Camposanto, interesting, with some frescoes worth viewing. We also found a good restaurant away from the tourist area. I can't remember the name, but it might have been in the university area. The walk took us through the town, giving us a different feel from what you get just being near the Campo dei Miracoli.

I am one that recommends skipping Pisa with limited time even after having spent a full day and night there last year. I think Florence needs several days & Lucca is delightful. I'm not the biggest fan of CT (shame on me!)I also research several tour books but still find Rick's the best. Still have my 1993 book!

I found this fun article "What to Avoid in Italy."
Which, of course, reminded me of this topic. You'll see why.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/general/cw_avoid.htm

Re the What To Avoid in Italy article's statement of opinion that: "The [Pisa] Baptistry and the cathedral are nice buildings, but by themselves wouldn't make the top 100 list of churches in Italy." Well, I guess that proves everybody's entitled to their own opinion (but not entitled to their own facts, I hope), etc, etc....On this one I'm going to side with the geeks at the United Nations/UNESCO World Heritage, who in 1987 selected Pisa's Piazza del Duomo as one of only 40 World Heritage sites in Italy. For what it's worth, they describe the four-building complex as "These four masterpieces of medieval architecture – the cathedral, the baptistry, the campanile (the 'Leaning Tower') and the cemetery--had a great influence on monumental art in Italy from the 11th to the 14th century." The United Nations' overall list includes "878 properties in the world forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value."

We loved Pisa and plan to spend a couple of days there in the future. We want to find all the special places that we know hide there.

I haven't been to Pisa, so not qualified to offer an opinion, but I have two thoughts on Kent's original post.

"And we've got European vacationers spending time in much different ways and laughing at wondering whey we're so frenetic."

As I recently pointed out to a British friend of mine, "it's a lot easier for you to get to Italy than me!" That's not to say that a majority of Europeans spend a great deal of time in Italy, but geographic, financial, and time constraints are all in the Europeans' favor. That lets them give more priority to areas non-Europeans may skip. I also suspect Americans in particular tend to want to "stretch their dollar" and cram as much in as possible.

Secondly, most people who ask for advice here give us a set number of days to work with. That means tough choices have to be made. Sure, maybe Pisa deserves more than an hour or two, but especially for a first-time traveler, it doesn't make a lot of sense to sacrifice Florence, Venice, Rome. Maybe (per Michelin), Pisa is ranked higher to CT, but if I'm already visiting museum-heavy Rome and Florence especially, the "outdoorsy-ness" of CT may make a welcome respite from yet another Duomo and Museo.

I do plan to spend a day in Pisa whenever I get back to Italy. My goal is to do a "Northern Italy" tour--CT, Lucca, Pisa, Milan, Bologna, Venice--maybe some more if I can fit it in there. After all, gotta stretch those dollars! :-)

I'm with Kent...I liked Pisa a lot...I have recommended that people skip Pisa if they were only going to stop for a photo op...but the Campo Dei Miracoli, when taken as a whole, is an amazing site well worth a days visit...as for Linda's link, note that even though these people managed to spend lots of time in Europe, they didn't spend enough time to understand the unique joy that is Venice

I think he was right about the bread and the markets though...

Pisa is really really worthy of more attention than a brief glimpse at the tower. I disagree with anyone saying without the Leaning Tower the church and baptistry would not be that worthwhile. The three buildings taken as a whole, the tower, church, and baptistry, are a beautiful site that is not to be missed. Not to mention the VERY interesting cemetary that is right next to it. 45 minutes is not enough time to spend in Pisa but if time is an issue I believe it can be seen very well in half a day.

In my experience, it's very difficult to find a universal standard of good and bad. Many things in life strike a chord in us, that might otherwise be lost on others.

My experiences in Pisa are one of those things. When I visited the first time, it was part of my college course on Romanesque architecture. A group of us students climbed the spiral staircase to the top. Because of the angle, you'd spend half of the climb pressed against the outer wall, and the other half pressed against the center support of the staircase. When we reached the top, the view was simply breathtaking. As we took in the view, the bells struck. No one said a word.

None of us took pictures that day "holding up" the tower with our hands. It really was something extraordinary.

How does someone tout their own special moments in a travel guide? The answer is, they can't. You have to go where you feel you should, and take whatever presents itself to you. In Italy, more than any other country I've ever visited, it's seems like there there are more "subtle" moments of joy and simple pleasure than anywhere else. If getting the "holding up" the tower photo is your main objective, then you'll decide whether the amount of time needed to get this popular shot is worth it.

No one way is more right than another.

"Campo Dei Miracoli, when taken as a whole, is an amazing site well worth a days visit"

That is exactly what makes Pisa so unique. There are wonderful cathedrals all over Europe. Great towers to climb with fantastic view can be found in the hundreds. The fact that this particular one is leaning is just a curiosity, not much more.

But I cannot think of another city that has this kind of assembly of buildings of in one place. AND present them in such harmony. Not to mention that the architecture IS important.

And I've seen quite a bit of Europe. In fact, I had seen 16 other countries before embarking on Italy as #17.

Before we went to Italy I wasn't even sure if we would stop in Pisa at all. In the end the half day there was one of the biggest surprises of the entire trip for me. We probably spent more time in the cemetary looking at the statues and frescos than climbing the tower. And with a scientist husband in tow (and kids who got some of his genes) Galileo and his work in Pisa kept us interested as well.

I find it not really surprising that European travellers have different priorities when coming to Italy than Americans or Canadians would do. They probably have seen exceptional art collections in their own backyard and don't care as much about seeing 'more of the same' when coming to Italy. I know a lot of Germans who love Tuscany and go there year after year - but have never been to Florence. They love the country side with vinyards and olive trees and the small little hill towns. I don't know any German tourist who bought a scarf as a souvenir but any self respecting cook will pack as much Tuscan olive oil into the trunk of their car as they possibly can.

Beatrix: Exactly. It's the Campo dei Miracoli taken as a whole that makes Pisa so worth it! My original post was not referring to the leaning tower or the town. As the topic title suggests, much more than just a pretty learning tower. Thank you for taking the time to share your insights on this.

We really enjoyed our visit to Pisa in June 2002. We were able to climb to the top of the tower as it had recently reopened and our kids loved it. Am planning on returning there this summer with my sisters so they can see it too. I thought the field of miracles was beautiful!

I liked the tower, cathedral and baptistry in the Field of Miracles (I'm trying to figure out what the fourth building was, I only remember three). I think they are well worth a look and by themselves outshine many small cities in Italy.

I'm glad we stopped but didn't leave with a favorable impression of Pisa as a whole. Even in late October, it was surrounded with hundreds of little kiosks selling tourist junk to the visitors. Nothing outside of the Field of Miracles gave any indication it was a city worth staying in.

Free parking was easy to find when we went. We stayed less than two hours. If you go in high season, I can't imagine getting parked, walking to the sites, seeing the sites and getting back on the freeway in less than two hours. I would probably budget four hours and be happy if it only took three.

Our experience was similar to Brad's except we went in May. Found free parking just a short walk from the Field of Miracles and stayed for maybe 3 hours or so. All three buildings are a worth while visit in their own right. One of the few things I remember in my grade school books was a picture of the leaning tower of Pisa and thinking how cool it was to see such a building leaning like that without falling. Never thought I would actually see or climb it in person but it happened. Standing at the top of the tower I thought about those childhood school days of seeing that picture in that book and here I was in person. That too was cool. The visit was absolutely worth it but no plans to go back. The turn off was the street vendors aggressively selling their wares which I thought was much worse than at the Spanish steps. Sometimes though you have to overlook the negatives and appreciate the good things and the historical significance of the sites you visit. Pisa was worth the short visit for us and for those who stay longer and look for a more in depth visit I am sure they can come away with some nice memories of the area.

Ultimately, the choice to linger in Pisa or skip it completely is a personal and subjective decision. Just because a guidebook says you are going to like it, doesn't mean your a going to like it, marvel at it, cherish the moment on top of the tower etc. Just because so and so is voted Sexiest Man Alive doesn't mean "I" find him sexy, likewise because Field of Miracles or Pisa made some top 100 list or not doesn't define whether or not you should go.

I took the train from Firenze to Pisa a week ago and it was worth the visit in my opinion even though I did not the time or the energy to climb the Leaning Tower. I am glad I stopped by because my trip to Italy would not have been complete without seeing it.

The aggressive vendors trying to sell their watches was very annoying but at least they didn't chase me around like the ones in Rome trying to sell me roses!