Our stay in Italy ended in the city of Pisa. We wanted to see the leaning tower, a campanile, freestanding bell tower, of the Cathedral. We were flying out of Pisa to return to the U.S.A. and decided to spend a couple of days seeing the sites. During our Pisa visit, we toured the Duomo di Pisa and its campanile.
The Campanile & Duomo
The campanile is stunning and a must-see when in Pisa. We dropped our bags at our fantastic hotel, which was within walking distance of the tower. Once settled in, we decided to wander the streets in search of this famous much-photographed site. The city itself is spotless, and it’s easy to find your way around the winding roads. We rounded a corner, and there were three of the most beautiful marble buildings in front of us. The tower was impressive, but it is the Cathedral that took our breath away. I continue to be amazed at the history, architecture, and size of these structures.
We had to wait for the doors to open and wandered the Piazza Dei Miracoli or Square of Miracles’ grounds. This square consists of 4 great sites: the Duomo (Cathedral), the Campanile, the Baptistry, the Camposanto, or walled cemetery. The construction of the Romanesque Cathedral began in 1063 under the architect Buscheto. Even though Romanesque, the building also has Moorish and Byzantine influences.
Entering the Cathedral
The Duomo di Pisa’s large bronze doors were created in 1595 after a fire destroyed the originals. The doors finally opened, and we found ourselves standing in awe at the interior of the Cathedral. The massive nave made of marble has two aisles on each side. A painted oval dome covers the transept crossing. The walls are lined with paintings, mostly of the Renaissance era because much of the earlier works were destroyed in the fire.
The original elaborately carved pulpit by Giovanni Pisano survived the fire and was found in 1926 stored away in a crate. It was once again reassembled and put in its original place.
There is a bronze lamp hanging near the pulpit that is said to have inspired Galileo to create the law of the pendulum after he watched it sway during mass.
We wandered the aisles and nooks of the Cathedral for hours, every so often just taking a seat on a nearby bench to take in the sites, paintings, light streaming through the windows, and all of the glory of this magnificent building. The Duomo truly is one of my favorite Cathedrals that I have had the opportunity to visit and hopefully will someday return.
