Tuscany - Italy - page 152

white cylinder of a spaceship that has crash-landed at an awkward angle in a green
field and discharged an army of mimes. People of all sizes, ages, and races, stand
in front of the tower in goofy positions. Some attempt the “Look, ma, I'm hold-
ing up the tower” pose, with outstretched arms “catching” the leaning tower in
the background. Others go for the “push,” the “foot save,” or the “Ow, it just fell
on my head” pantomime.
The mob of tourists, the hot dog stands, the aggressive souvenir
peddlers--these all point to the fact that Pisa is one of Italy's oldest tourist traps.
But you should still go here, not only to see the Leaning Tower but also to tour
the four lesser known, though equally impressive, monuments in the appropri-
ately named Campo di Miracoli, the Field of Miracles.
That being said, the city doesn't hold much beyond this central area to attract
visitors. I'd advise a day trip here while staying in Florence (about 1 hr. away) or
Lucca (30 min. away), or just passing through on a Tuscan excursion. But on your
way out, try to stop at the Passigia factory, birthplace of the Vespa, just for proof
that Italians really can design stuff the right way.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PISA
Pisa was once a major economic, political, cultural, and sea-faring power. And
then it experienced a string of disasters: Its harbor and river silted up, it lost a cou-
ple of wars, the economy tanked, and all it had left was a tower that couldn't stand
straight and a few major churches. (One of those churches was firebombed in
World War II, so you really have to feel a little sorry for this faded empire.)
Nowadays Pisa is a lively university town and industrial center, with an interna-
tional airport and transport hubs, but it's still just a shadow of its former self.
In its heyday in the 1100s, Pisa was the terror of Tuscany. It conquered large
areas of the region, including Lucca, in a series of brutal wars. Pisa was a major
naval power as well, controlling Mediterranean sea lanes and expanding its empire
to Corsica and Sardinia. But following a disastrous naval battle with Genoa in
1284, its sea power began to wane,
and with it much of its military might.
However, Pisa's years of prosperity
lasted long enough to fund the con-
struction of the major edifices in the
city during the 12th and 13th cen-
turies, including the Leaning Tower, the
Camposanto, the Baptistery, and the
Duomo. The Pisan Romanesque style
of architecture, with its colorful
columns, striped decor, and repeating
arches, permeates Tuscany, and can be
seen in Lucca's St. Michele Church, as
well as in churches in Siena and even
those in archrival Florence.
Florentine armies conquered Pisa in 1406 and turned it into a tribute state.
Once the rivers became silted, Pisa literally became a backwater town, losing what
remaining significance it had as a port to supply mighty Florence with goods.

“ The group of buildings clustered

on and about this verdant carpet
comprising the Tower, the Baptistery,
the Cathedral and the Church of the
Campo Santo is perhaps the most
remarkable and beautiful in the
whole world.

”

—Charles Dickens, Pictures from
Italy, 1846