We spent our last day in Tuscany doing side-trips. We headed first, via bus, to Siena, one of Florence's rival cities, with some beautiful architecture and buildings in the "burnt siena" color. The main town square, Piazza del Campo (or Il Campo), is a striking shell-shaped space framed by the Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) and many storefronts.
Siena alleyway
She-wolf statue, with the twins, Romulus and Remus
Il Campo
Palazzo Pubblico
(Me, threatening to prove that this is, in fact, "drinkable water" [acqua potable] from the Piazza Fontana)
The Duomo (cathedral) is also spectacular, with pretty pink marble on its Gothic face.
We did stroll the town markets but did not buy anything.
We otherwise found the town a bit "sleepy" and, on impulse, returned to Florence to take a (cheesy) side trip (another hour by train) to Pisa, if only to see the Leaning Tower. It was sooo worth it (even with the hefty 40-euro fine imposed on us because, in our haste to board the next departing train, we missed the tiny ticket-validating machine. Boo for non-lenient Italian train officials!)!
The Campo dei Miracoli, which includes the tower (campanile), cathedral, and baptistery amidst large patches of green, is surely one of the most beautiful squares in the world.
The tower's construction was started in the 1100s by the architect Bonanno Pisano. Only three levels were initially completed, but it already began to tilt. It was completed in two more stages, but, due to the marshy land underneath and other natural changes, has continued to lean by approximately 1 mm per year and is now over 4m off the vertical perpendicular!
We really enjoyed our time taking pictures; it reminded me of our fun Taj Mahal photos (and we really missed our expert photographer, Kimie).
Goodbye, Tuscany, hello Lazio (Rome!).
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