Steppin'outtamyshoes: Visiting Pisa and Plaza of Miracles

Cricket and me in Pisa

Today I decided to set out to explore more of Pisa I walked to the river Arno and saw an interesting church in the distance and decided to walk over to it. The church was Santa Maria della Spina and it was a very small church which was built around 1230 and enlarged in 1325 it built was near the new bridge that collapsed in the 15th century but was never rebuilt. The church is considered one of the most outstanding Gothic facades in Europe.

Santa Maria della Spina

After that I walked along bridge in Pisa and came across the botanical gardens Orto e Museo Botanico di Pisa. I received free admission since I was a senior and that was a good thing there were very few flowers, and it was very poorly kept I was disappointed. I headed back to lean I was sunny, and I got a ticket to go visit the cathedral Duomo di Pisa Assumption of the Virgin Mary located in the Piazza del Miracoli (Plaza of the Miracles) I sat and rested awhile as I waited to go inside.

The first stone of the Cathedral was laid in 1093 the main architect was Buscheto who is buried inside. A fire in 1595 destroyed most of the medieval art but some of the best Renaissance artists were hired to restore. The style is Pisan Romanesque. The outer facing is decorated in alternating black and white shades in stripes with an Arab influence. It also was built with many reused materials from Roman monuments. A restoration project was started in 2015 and will be completed in time for he 950th anniversary of the concentration Sept 18th 2018. Galileo is believed to have formulated his theory about the movement of a pendulum by watching the swinging of the incense lamp (not the present one) hanging from the ceiling in the nave.

The Pisa Baptistery of St John

The Duomo and the Lean

top of the Lean

Tomb of San Ranieri

I had seen a cute little restaurant (Bar San Domenico) and decided to have a meal there and choose a table outside with a view of the Lean I ordered spaghetti with white cream sauce and bacon, with a glass of wine followed by coffee. I was pretty exhausted so I headed back to my hotel and had a nap and then went back out and had a 2 flavor chocolate * of course and just looked around the shopping area.