La Mia Fermata in Pisa e Firenze

Day 7


There was only one reason why we wanted to go to Pisa: Torre Pendente di Pisa… the leaning tower of Pisa. We arrived in Pisa around noon and as expected, it was sunny.

Torre Pendente di Pisa

Battistero di San Giovanni

There were no lockers at the Pisa station so we had to bring our backpacks with us as we trotted about 1.7 km from Pisa Centrale to the leaning tower of Pisa at Piazza dei Miracoli. In this Piazza, we also found the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta or simply the Duomo di Pisa (Cathedral of Pisa) and the Battistero (Baptistry), where people used to be baptized so they could enter the cathedral. Galileo Galilei is said to have been baptized in this Baptistery. 

Duomo di Pisa

Walking along the streets of Pisa

We originally planned on staying in Pisa but after 1-2 hours, we decided to stay the night in Florence instead. So, armed with our Eurail pass, we hopped on to one of the local trains that stops at Florence. The ride only took 1.5 hours.

Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

We did not plan this part of the trip, so we did not have any hostel reservation. We had no idea how to search for accommodation (without the availability of internet) but we immediately found ourselves at the tourist information office, which was just across Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station. There, we decided to check out the nearest hostel, Ostello Centrale Firenze. Our room was spacious and the bathroom, outside the room, was spacious too. It was funny because the lights were automatic. So when I would take a shower, the lights would go off and I would have to wave my hand outside the curtain to turn it back on.

Palazzo della Signoria, Firenze

We didn’t really have an itinerary in Florence. We just wandered around without a map, ate gelato, pizza and pasta, and enjoyed the Italian surrounding which were just so charming. There are a lot to see and visit in Florence but instead of visiting the museums, we decided to just take pleasure in the bursting feel of Italian Renaissance surrounding us. We found some form of art in every corner of Florence. The city itself is like an open art museum!

Fountain of Neptune

Sculptures at the Laggio dei Lanzi

In Piazza della Signoria is the Palazzo della Signoria, also known as the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace). Aside from a statue of David near the Palazzo, you can find  a copy of the  Fountain of Neptune (the original is at the National museum). At the corner of the piazza is Laggio dei Lanzi, where several statues are laid out. 

And quite nearby is the Galleria degli Uffizi, a famous museum housing some of the works of da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. 

One particular attraction that we stumbled upon was the symbol of Florence, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or otherwise known as the Duomo di Firenze. Since we did not bring a map and my smart phone with the GPS had an empty battery, we guessed our way back to the hostel using the Duomo as our landmark.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

I did not expect to like Florence so much. But I did. J