Day 8 - Pisa and Florence

What a day! We started off going to Pisa. Europe is certainly ready for tourists' money. There were all kinds of vendors set up along the street leading into the main square where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is. We walked through a walled area which opened up to the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles). This took my breath away. There were 3 main structures: The Baptistry, the Duomo, and the Leaning Tower. The Baptistry is the largest one in Italy. Baptistries were built separate from the cathedrals, because in former times people who were not baptised were not allowed to enter the church! This one was started in 1152 A.D.

The Duomo Santa Maria Assunta was started in 1064 A.D. The doors have 24 scenes from the New Testament, such as the life of Jesus and Mary, in pictures.








The Leaning Tower was started in August 1173A.D. but it took 200 years to build it, counting two long interruptions. It started to lean while it was being built because of the unstable soil. The tower is 58 meters high. As you can see, people have a lot of fun taking photos of trying to help the tower not to fall over more!

We had about two hours to look around on our own, shop, and eat gelato. We were to meet at the statue at noon... We ate lunch at Restaurant il Turista which was off the main square of Pisa. While we were eating, this little girl - probably about 8 years old - came in and would walk around to our tables playing her accordian, then stick her hand out for money. Even though she was adorable, it was so sad that she was taught to ask for money at such a young age. Karina said that often, the people who do that are not poor. She said that little girl probably makes about 100 euro a day! We left Pisa, got back on the bus and headed to Florence.Andy and Chad shared an IPod, while Joshua slept.

My favorite larger city was FLORENCE! Florence is known for its wealth of art and architecture. It is where the Renaissance began.

We started Florence at the Accademia Gallery. There are many works by Michelangelo, including....David. He was only 29 years old when he carved it! David is 17 feet tall and you are in awe when you look at the perfection of the carving! This statue has been in the exact same spot since 1873! Besides David, we saw his works (unfinished?) of Prisoners, and also the Pieta.

From the Accademia, we walked until we came to the Duomo and the Baptistry. On the doors of the Baptistry are 12 scenes from the Old Testament. The Duomo, the Church, was built in the middle ages, but in the 1400's Brunelleschi finished it with a grand dome...now it's called Brunelleschi's Dome. It took him 14 years to build it. The tower is called Giotto's Tower. You can climb it, but we didn't have the chance. The bell tower is 274 feet tall. We walked to the Piazza Signoria. In this square is the Palazzo Vecchio, where the statue of David originally stood (now a copy of it stands in the spot of the original) and the Loggia. In the Loggia are more statues, the most famous of which is one of Perseus. From this square you can also enter the Uffizi Gallery.
On our way back to the bus, we walked to the Arno River to see the Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge. It's a famous bridge lined with jewellers' shops. There has been a bridge here since the 11th century, but this particular bridge was built in 1345!
We realized how young our country really is by the end of Day 8.