A Day in Pisa: Life in architecture form and a centuries old fight over a bridge
This entry focuses on the remainder of our day spent with my cousin Emanuela Conforti and her husband Edoardo as they guided us through the highlights of Pisa.
From where I left off in the last blog, we had toured the old Conforti house in Ripafratta and from there we were off (in a hurry as we were late) for a tour of some kind in Pisa. We drove to a large parking lot about a mile from the Piazza dei Mirocoli which is the large plaza where the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is along with Pisa's other historic monuments. I was surprised to find that parking here was free for the entire day. Yes, it was a bit of a walk from the attractions, but in Europe you walk to most places and honestly a mile is not that "far" compared to how much you walk in a given day. We were averaging about 5-7 miles per day depending on where we were. Again, the main limiting factor was the heat/humidity. It was hot in Pisa - temperature around 90 degrees but a humidity reaching 40% or higher (remember, those of us from California are used to 20% max). The heat index meant it felt like 95 degrees with a very intense sun bearing down on us.
Emanuela and Edo took us to a portal in the medieval gates to get into the Piazza near one of the guard towers. It was here that our tour was to begin. They had purchased for us tickets to gain access to the main features of the Piazza, but also a tour along the top of the medieval wall surrounding around 60% of the old city center including the Piazza. Our guide met us at the base of the tower, and we followed her up 4 flights of stairs (albeit much shorter climb than the ascent at the Uffizi the day before) where we ended up atop the wall - la Mura di Pisa.
Up here, there was a commanding view of the entire Piazza depending on which way and how far you walked along the wall. Our guide spoke pretty good English and told us about the origins of the wall pointing out the differences we could see in the type of brick or rock used to construct the bridge. Portions of the wall was built by the Romans, and you could still see their engineered layering of thinner bricks (in typical Roman terra cotta color) and masterfully crafted archways. Atop that were at least two other eras easily distinguishable by the different size and type of rock used in construction.
While on the wall, we learned that Pisa was a Roman city, its own naval based republic, and at times ruled and conquered by Livorno or Florence (mostly Florence and the might of the Medici rule). On the wall, we walked past a statue of a lion which was turned to face inward to look down upon the baptistry and the Piazza. The guide explained that the lion was originally placed on the wall by the residents of Pisa and faced toward the sea so that approaching invaders would see the fierce lion which delivered the message that Pisa was a fierce opponent. So, why was it facing into the Piazza? Once Pisa was conquered by Florence, the Florentines turned the statue around to face into the Piazza so that the citizens of Pisa would know that they were being watched by an even more fierce ruler. The might of the Pisan republic never recovered from a silted in port and a superior force in Florence, and thus the lion remains facing into the Piazza to this day. In all honesty, I don't see how the lion would intimidate anything. See....
The tour was brief but informative with most of the attention focused on the four main architectural monuments and buildings within the Piazza.
There are four structures within the Piazza dei Miracoli. Most people think of only the leaning tower as this is often seen by itself in photos. But there are four structures, and they are all tied to the Christian belief of the human life cycle.
Closest to where we were standing on the wall was the ornate Baptistry dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
Just beyond the Baptistry is the Cathedral (or Duomo) dedicated to Saint Mary of the Assumption (for non-Catholics, the Assumption refers to Mary's ascension into Heaven, not that she made a lot of assumptions.). Santa Maria Assunta and the famous Tower itself also were built in the same Romanesque architecture that the Baptistry was built in... a matching trio of buildings at the center of the Pisan life.
Just to the east of Santa Maria Assunta is the famous Leaning Tower. To this day it still leans at a very impressive angle (over 4 degrees from vertical) despite several times during its long history where it seemed collapse was inevitable. Construction began on the tower in 1173 and continued for almost 200 years. When you look at the tower, you can see where construction at higher levels tried to compensate for the leaning which began during the construction phase. Columns on one side of the tower were built taller than the other to try to "correct" the non-vertical appearance. Given that Pisa lies along the Arno and near the Serchio Rivers, the flat lands around Pisa are prone to flooding and are within a tidal floodplain. In other words, they are a marsh. Flooding and mosquitos were common. So was malaria. Marshy soils are not good for building tall, heavy structures on. In the 1990s, the tower was closed to the public as engineers were worried the tower was going to collapse and scaling the tower with a list of over 5 degrees from vertical at that point was becoming dangerous. Massive multi-national engineering efforts were made to stabilize the soils and foundations below the tower resulting in an engineered solution that corrected the lean by about a degree and allowed the tower to reopen to the public. Today it is considered "stable" as much as a tower that leans by 4 degrees can be. Still, you won't find me climbing it. Reportedly, visitors grab onto the interior of the walkway as they get near the 7th floor to avoid slipping and falling off. No thanks.
The last structure or really monument in the Piazza is probably the least known of them all. The cemetery or Camposanto lies to the north of Santa Maria Assunta. We did not get a chance to visit the inside of the Camposanto but it remains on my wish list along with the nearby museum that preserved some of the original frescos that used to decorate the cemetery. Unfortunately, the Camposanto that you see today is largely rebuilt from the original. As the Allied forces were liberating Italy during World War II, German forces were taking refuge in well-known structures of historical value including those within the Piazza dei Miracoli figuring that the Allies would not bomb these structures. They were mostly correct except for three well documented cases that come to mind: 1) the monastery on Monte Cassino midway between Rome and Napoli, 2) the Dominican church in Milan and its dining hall which houses Leonardo da Vinci's famous "the Last Supper" painting, and 3) the Camposanto in Pisa. Considered an error, US bombers had their way with the Camposanto. Only some of the historically significant frescos were saved and are kept in the museum adjacent to the Piazza.
So, there are four structures in the Piazza and as I noted earlier, they represent the Christian take on the human life (and soul) cycle. The Baptistry represents birth. The Duomo represents life. The Camposanto represents death. And finally, the Tower represents the ascension into Heaven - and with that lean, probably represents the ascension most of us take... a little skewed and not exactly a direct path. Give it up for the city planners of Pisa back in the 1100-1500s for thinking through all of that. I found that fact very interesting.
As noted a few times, it was downright hot. For me, my mind was mostly on Alyssa who was back at the house and reported to us that she was fine and very comfortable relaxing. But nonetheless, when you kid is not doing well, it is hard to be out enjoying the sites that you've seen before whereas she has not. She will return someday, I keep telling myself. We were able to poke into the Baptistry and Santa Maria Assunta but not the Camposanto, and none of us had any desire to inadvertantly cliff dive off the leaning Tower. Maria was interested in shopping (of course) and Emanuela wanted to show us the Centro Storico (historic center or old town). Jule and I wanted cold water and maybe a gelato to go with some shade. So we trekked off into the Centro Storico traveling past one of the high schools that focuses on art and architecture and near the university. Had to give Maria a bunch of ideas... thanks Emanuela!
We found our way into the Centro Storico and were instantly immersed in beautiful shops tucked under a portico that featured the main designer labels (Prada, Gucci, etc.), a mix of restaurants and trattorias, and a few dozen or so gelato shops. If you have been to Italy, then you know what I am referring to with the gelato shops. They have large window displays of the many colorful flavor options of the gelato they sell. Large mounds of chocolate, cream, yellow, pink, orange, pistachio green, etc. draw you in to get a cone or a cup of one, two, or even three flavors. You have to have the stracciatella at least once. The cioccolato is great of course. Limone is zesty. Each gelateria has a lot of options, some venture into interesting and enticing flavors. You really cannot go wrong, but we learned on this trip that if you want the gelato that is more fresh, possibly organic (hard to tell with translation) and a superior product, you shy away from the more ornate window displays of mounting goodness and look instead for the less picturesque gelaterias with the tin cannisters holding fewer flavors. In Pisa, we found such a place and thoroughly enjoyed our cool treat. Here I opted for apricot and lemon. It was incredible. (Editor's note: all the gelato was incredible no matter how well it was displayed in the window. I mean, c'mon... it is gelato on a summer day in Italy).
We decided to grab an outdoor table at a ristorante and order a drink so we can relax and visit for a bit. Plus, Maria really wanted to shop, so this gave us a place to sit while she and Jule explored a few shops. We talked about lots of things beside just who is who in the family tree. They were curious about life in the USA. We were curious about life in Italy. The conversations were great, we were enjoying our various drinks (another Spritz for me) when suddenly we heard what sounded like a lot of drumming coming our way.
Il Gioco del Ponte is a cultural tradition in Pisa that occurs once a year, pitting the 6 neighborhoods south of the Arno River in Pisa against the 6 neighborhoods in Pisa that lie north of the Arno River in an epic "tug-o-war" style battle over the Ponte di Mezzo, Each neighborhood (12 in all) have their own colors, flags, and uniforms and parade through the main streets leading up to the Ponte before the battle begins in the evening. This happens one day each year. Today was that day, and we just so happen to settle down at a cafe along the parade route right as it began... all out of sheer luck.
The pageantry was cool. I really can't think of too many cultural festivals like this, at least here in the Sacramento region, where civic pride and neighborhood colors and crests take center stage. Festivals or historical events like this happen all over Europe. We lucked out and got to see part of the Pisan tradition.
As the 6 northern neighborhoods and their battle-ready teams walked by, each to their own drummer and cadence and rally chants, Emanuela's pride swelled up and she told me that these were "her neighborhood" - she lives north of the river and therefore claims the Tramontana team (the northern team) over the southern rivals, the Mezzogiorno. It really felt alive to be there and watch this event occur within a few feet of us. We were not going to stick around for the actual battle on the bridge which was about 5 blocks away (nor do I think we'd get a spot to see it anywhere close enough to enjoy it). As it were, it was about 730pm, and we were eager to get back to Lucca and see how Alyssa was doing. Edo informed me that I would be able to watch the Gioco on TV once I got home and that it should start around 9pm.
Later that evening, I watched most of the Guoco on local channel 50. I was having trouble figuring out which neighborhood was Tramontana but, in the end, they were victorious. You can watch the news story here, which also give you a sense for the pageantry and the competition.
With that, our time in Pisa and our visit with Emanuela and Edo came to an end. We had a long walk back to our car, but Edo offered to drive us there. I'm not sure we saved much time, nor mileage since we ended up walking about a mile to get to a place that he could pick us up, just to then drive back to the other side of town where our car was, but the gesture was appreciated, and it gave us another 30 minutes to visit, and another segment of the day we had no clue was part of the plan, or not part of the plan but became part of the plan.
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