We arrived in Italy to the charming town of La Spezia – In hindsight, I think I would have opted to explore this port town. It was stunning and looked idyllic, not only from the ship, but also as we drove through it via bus on our way to and from Pisa.
Instead, all five of us opted to go see the leaning tower of Pisa. The weather put a chilly and rainy damper on the day, However, even if the weather had been lovely, this famous tourist destination probably would have still felt a bit anticlimatic.
Our excursion sounded lovely and exciting (booked through Royal Caribbean). However, the boat ride up the Arno River to Pisa was not very picturesque or scenic. It only got interesting near the end as we entered Pisa and could see the architecture of the town. I would have a hard time recommending this part of the excursion. A lot of it certainly had to do with the dampness of the day but there was a very long walk from the bus to the boat through a desolate park. It was odd and a little daunting for anyone that may have trouble walking, especially having to dodge pooling water and mud.
When we disembarked in Pisa, we took a trolley to the plaza where the tower is. Our trolley was like nothing we had ever seen before – there were at least 4 to 5 “cars” with bench row seating (like a tram) in each car. The individual cars were connected together essentially via bungee cords! I tried to get a photo of this but due to the steamy windows and rain, it is hard to make out how we were joined. I had an image in my head of the beloved movies featuring Herbie the Love Bug sailing through streets out of control if our bungee cords somehow came loose on our ride!
Had it been a clear day, we could have seen the town of Pisa better via trolley but it was raining. However, I did see some very pretty buildings near the plaza (Square of Miracles).
As for the actual experience of seeing Duomo di Pisa and its famous leaning tower, if it wasn’t leaning, I’m not sure people would flock to it. Both the church and tower are beautiful pieces of architecture and history for sure.
Part of our excursion included gelato from a nice restaurant and gift shop in the plaza. We also indulged in our one and only time of having slices of pizza while it Italy – it was yummy! Jerry’s father is an expert deal finder/negotiator so we also picked up some nice sweatshirts as souvenirs from the line of vendors in the plaza.
As I said, this was an overall good experience to see an iconic landmark. It just felt anti-climatic. You cannot control the weather so that certainly hampered our ability to fully take in the sights of Pisa from both boat and trolley rides.
Am I glad we saw a famous landmark – yes – would I like to revisit it – no. Do I wish I had seen/experienced a bit of La Spezia – yes.
The next day in Italy finds us having last minute changes in our plans. So now we are unexpectedly roaming around Rome. It turned out to be a great day for all of us. I will fill you in on that day in the next post. Arrivederci!
Thoughtful Travels 