It's All About The Piazza (Monday, September 5)

I love Italian train stations. The massive Arrivals and Departures board that dominates Italian stations is in a state of constant change with trains arriving and leaving, tracks (binaris) being posted and wonderful  destinations - Napoli, Roma, Livorno, Firenza, Venezia, Milano - flipping up.  And trains arrive and depart "on time".  Our train to Pisa left at the scheduled time of 10:28 exactly and arrived in Pisa at 11:28 as scheduled.
Our hotel, on the south side of the Arno, is about a twenty minute walk from The Leaning Tower of Pisa. As soon as we were settled we headed out. I was prepared to be disappointed as we had been told that the whole area is one of massive commercialsim. That is partially so.  However, the Field of Miracles (The Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Duomo and the Baptistery) are untouched by the crass commecialism and actually sit in a beautiful green field surrounded by the ancient Pisa city wall on one side and cyprus trees on the other. I was totally unprepared for how startling beautiful the Tower is with its graceful arches, bright white marble construction and pastel tiles. Jim climbed the tower. I chose not to after being informed that the stairs are a claustrophobic sprial ladder.  The views in Jim's photos are spectacular.  We toured the incredibly beautiful Duomo with its spectacular 320 foot nave.  I know I am strange, but in spite of the glorious art and the pulpit designed by Pisano, what I loved most was what they refer to as Galileo's lamp. "This bronze incense burner is said to be the one that caught Galileo's attention one day in church.  Someone left a church door open and a gust of wind set the lamp swinging. Galileo realized that the burner swung back and forth in the same amount of time regardless of how wide the arc." (Rick Steeves). We saw that exact experiment in the Galileo Science Museum in Florence. The baptistery creates a beautiful mood. The font is massive, allowing for baptisms by dunking for adults or smaller side baths for infants.  "Shhhh!" signs are everywhere as the acoustics in the round building are incredible and any whisper can be heard easily.
Our hotel recommended a trattoria for dinner - Il Bistrot". Okay, here's where I am in heaven.  We sat outside this charming little trattoria in a small piazza.  As we dined on the most incredible food (chestnut gnocchis with rosemary sauce for me and spaghetti a la vongole for Jim) the tables filled up with friends and families out for an evening meal.....and this was a Monday!  In the centre of the piazza small chidren rode their bikes or played.  Familes and friends sauntered through, out for their evening stroll.  All of this was under a sky filled with stars and a bright moon. Sigh!