Marilyn's Odyssey: Pisa and Lucca

Leaving the beautiful Cinque Terre we headed to one of Italy's most recognized monuments, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower is really only a small part of he architectural complex that dominate the Field of Miracles. Pisa, once a major sea port, from 1000 to 1300AD, silted up and became removed from the sea leaving it it's cathedral and university. The tower with its 15 foot lean was built over two centuries by at least thre different architects. The lean has increased over time due to the wet area it sits on but with work done in the 90's it will hopefully survive for many more generations. The Cathedral and the Baptristy through not as photographed are stunning. The cathedral was started in 600 AD and added to over the years to make it one of the largest cathedrals in Europe. The pulpit designed by Giovanni around 1250 is exquisite. The baptistery leans six feet to the north and is the largest in Italy. The pulpit was created by Nicolas Pisano, Giovanni's father and is thought to be the worlds first Renaissance sculpture. The acoustics in this 250 foot high dome are amazing.

From Pisa we continued on to Lucca. Surrounded by well preserved ramparts this is Italy's most impressive fortress city. Lucca has kept its walls intact and traffic out to creat a picturesque town with Romanesque churches around every corner. We rode bikes around the 2 1/2 mile loop on the top of the ramparts which not only fun gave us wonderful views of the city within and outside the walls. Charming winding streets led us to a delightful family owned restaurant in a small courtyard off of the lane.