Italy Day 7 – It's True... the Tower Leans

I've always wondered if the Leaning Tower of Pisa is really leaning as much as it appears to lean in photos. Today I decided to find out. Yes, I drove for a total of six hours today just to see and climb the tower. I also planned to visit another town near Pisa but it ended up looking kind of boring and I was tired by the time I got there so I drove past and returned to Panicale. My flight leaves from Pisa next weekend but I didn't want to have the stress of leaving early and taking the chance of not making it to the tower or missing my flight if I ended up stuck in traffic or something. As weird as it is to think that I spent so much time on the road to visit a site that a couple of people have told me is quite boring, I don't regret the trip at all.

As my GPS guided me towards the Campo dei Miracoli, or Field of Miracles, I saw a huge wall ahead of me – about the height of a two or three story building. At a red light I finally glanced up above the wall and said out loud in a completely awestruck tone, “Oh wow.” I could see the top of the tower beyond the top of the wall. It's real.

I found a cheap parking space only two blocks from the campo (a small miracle), grabbed a sandwich as I walked to what I assumed was the entrance, and as I approached the wall I thought, “Where did the tower go? I thought it was in this area...”


And then I walked through the gate.

Campo dei Miracoli.
From left to right are the round Battistero (begun in 1152),
the Duomo (a cathedral begun in 1064),
and the Torre Pendente (begun in 1173).

I sat on a fence post just inside the gate to eat my lunch and enjoy the view in the photo above. One of the few perks about solo travel is that there's nobody to make me feel like I should be doing anything other than what I want to do. Don't get me wrong, there are many times I long for somebody to walk beside me and suggest the next thing to do, but there are some moments when I enjoy being alone. This afternoon as I ate my lunch, I loved the solitude and taking the time to just breathe and finally believe I'm really in Italy.



The tower was stunning and I'm thrilled that when I'm a crazy old woman (no, Lindsay, turning thirty next year doesn't count) I'll be able to tell people that I climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower really leans as much as it appears to. Climbing the spiral staircase was an unbelievable experience. At one point I couldn't stop myself from grinning as I thought, “I can't believe I'm actually climbing this thing and it's seriously leaning!” The stairs are marble and heavily eroded from so many people traipsing up and down every day. The stairs spiral around the wall and I could see and feel the slope of the tower as I circled around each level. The view from the top was beautiful, but the most amazing thing was the knowledge that I was standing on such an iconic spot.

The well-worn stairs in the tower.
Pity the poor guy who used to climb over 300 steps to ring the bells every hour.

Me and the view from the top of the tower.

I tried to get this as straight as possible to show the angle of the tower when you're climbing the stairs.

The classic pose.
I helped a Chinese couple pose together and they shot this for me in return. We had a great time chatting and the husband seemed quite excited to use my camera since he's hoping to buy the same one soon.

Detail on the outside of the tower.

Detail on the outside of the tower.

Entrance to the duomo/cathedral was free (unlike the pricey tower climb) so I wandered around for a while after climbing the tower. I neared the altar area and realized that the gate was open to provide access. Seemed weird because normally you're not allowed in that area of cathedrals. It was roped off from the front aisle, but the open gate was off to the side. A young couple was also eyeing the altar area from the open gate and I grinned at them and said, “Should we go for it?” They laughed and agreed that it seemed odd that the gate was open and we most likely weren't supposed to be in that area, but we decided to go for it and get kicked out together if it came to that. The guards were hanging out just outside the entrance so we figured it would take a while to get caught. It was gorgeous and definitely worth the risk! There were incredible paintings and it was amazing to be able to get so close. A guard finally came up about five minutes later (after we had been snapping photos madly and a few others had joined us) and started barking at all of us in Italian to get out of that area. Turns out the gate was supposed to be closed and a big rope stretched beyond that area but we could honestly claim innocence because it was wide open when we arrived. The young couple and I exchanged big grins as we walked out of the area where we had sort of unknowingly trespassed... fun times.

In the foreground is the pulpit by Giovanni Pisano with the dome of the cathedral in the background with a fresco by Orazio Riminaldi.

The image of Christ in the bowl of the apse is a mosaic started by Francesco De Simone and finished by Cimabue. This is the area we explored before the guards found us.

Some paintings in the forbidden area:

Italy Day 6 – Switchbacks, Stares, and a Saint

Switchbacks
The views from the roads here are beautiful, but the hairpin turns are so tight and numerous that I've had moments of feeling nauseous! That's definitely a first for me while behind the wheel of a car! I've been on a couple of roads where the GPS couldn't keep up with the turns – I guess it thought I had actually turned off the road or was going in the opposite direction.
“Recalculating. Turn left on – recalculating. In 200 metres turn right on – recalculating. In 150 metres– recalculating.”

Stares
Haven't had much in the way of annoying male attention over here, but I read somewhere that people here stare more than back in Canada and that's definitely something I've noticed. Back home if a guy looks at you it's generally the "once over" or they glance away when they realize you've noticed them looking at you. Over here the men stare at your face. Maybe I'm just encountering odd men, but it's a really weird feeling to glance up and realize a man is staring at your face and not... looking... away... for a long... time. It's awkward, to say the least.

A Saint

Assisi.

Click on the photo to enlarge it - the huge building on the far left is the Basilica of Saint Francis, the little castle on top of the hill is Rocca Maggiore. I walked from one side of the city to the other and to the top of the hill.

"It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching."
- Saint Francis of Assisi

I've been having a difficult time feeling like I'm really in Italy so I decided I needed to go somewhere stereotypically Italian. Some famous site that I've read about or heard about. I checked a map and the closest place was Assisi so it went on my itinerary for today. It definitely got me more on track with believing that I'm really here. I really didn't know much about the place but I'd definitely heard of Saint Francis of Assisi so it worked for me. The town is built into the side of a hill, as are most places around here, and had the winding streets and beautiful surroundings that me and my camera love. I wandered through town for a couple of hours, was impressed by my first view of Roman columns, explored the Basilica of Saint Francis and stopped by his burial crypt, walked the hill up to Rocca Maggiore for a view of the city just in time for the sun to break through the clouds and cast shafts of light on the fields below, and I'm developing a serious love of winter travelling due to the lack of tourists.

Roman Columns – Chiesa di S. Maria sopra Minerva
(Temple to Minerva).
1st Century BC, apparently one of the most perfect Roman facades in Italy.

Keri, this fresco in the ceiling of a little open area off to the side in the main square reminded me of you!

Saw quite a few intricate metal work.

Basilica di San Francesco.
Two churches built on top of each other between 1228 and 1253, an astounding medieval architectural feat according to a tour book.

The view when standing at the top of the stairs in the previous photo.

Really ridiculous souvenirs.

Not sure how these trees find enough nutrition...
my guess is that the wall below is filled with dirt, a design I've seen in other medieval walls.

The view from Rocca Maggiore at the top of the hill above the city.

Italy Day 5 - More Wandering

I decided to try shopping again today. The sun was shining but I went ahead and shopped anyway. First I tried an outlet mall about half an hour away. Sadly, they seem to be big fans of North American stores. It would have been fun to just shop for random things that caught my eye but due to a lack of luggage space and the rapid depletion of my bank account due to the combination of travelling and not working, I decided to stay focused and look for something for the wedding. No luck.

Next stop was Perugia, about an hour away. Oh wow. The roads and signs in that city are insanely confusing. The GPS is no help when you don't know where you want to go. I eventually found my way to the centre of town and into a parking lot. It just so happened that I parked in the ideal spot right at the base of the long line of underground escalators leading to the main piazza in the upper part of town.

I wandered around for a while but again didn't find anything. But I did have a fabulous time looking at the people around me! It was my first time seeing the ridiculously wealthy wandering around in fur boots, puffy jackets, aviator sunglasses, and fluffy fur hats. They oozed money. I passed three women with surreal beauty and perfect hair dressed almost entirely in black. They looked like they walked straight out of a designer's showroom. They even smelled amazing! My first response was to envy them, but I'll bet they've never picked strawberries in the rain or filleted a pile of fresh salmon or helped push-start a Volkswagen van. As fun as it would be to join their ranks, I prefer my windblown hair and comfy shoes.

Italy Day 4 – What? No Rain?

Yesterday the weather forecast was for more rain today so I decided to go to Perugia to do some shopping (still looking for a dress for David's wedding). This morning I got ready to go, opened the door, and discovered the sun was shining brightly with scattered, fluffy, white clouds. Crazy weather forecasters. I ran back upstairs to grab my camera and stuff a granola bar in my pocket before heading out for some site-seeing.

One of my neighbours, an elderly woman, was out on our street wearing a heavy wool skirt and sweater with a fluffy toque on her head as she beat a carpet. She called out, “Giorno!” as I closed my door and I called back, “Buon giorno!” and grinned the whole way to the car. It's those moments that make me love life a little bit more.

I set the GPS for San Gimignano and arrived over two hours later. San Gimignano is basically a big tourist trap made out of a hilltop medieval town. The travel books highly recommend it and a friend back home also suggested I go there. Thankfully with the winter weather there are very few travellers so much of the time I was exploring the streets alone. I love visiting places where I can just wander and take photos and let my mind wander.








The town is well-known for the high number of towers dotting the streets. One of the museums houses the tallest tower and a 5 Euro admission ticket allows access to the extremely boring museum and a chance to climb the tower for a breathtaking view.

The view from the top of the tower.

When I first entered the town through a large gate, I noticed a man entering at the same time. I mostly noticed him because of his striped toque and I thanked him when he moved around to walk behind me and stay out of my shot when I was taking a photo. I saw him a few times as I wandered around and he ended up climbing the tower a little while after me. While we were on the tower I saw him trying to take a self-portrait so I offered to shoot it for him. I asked him where he's from and he said Argentina. I told him I taught English in Bolivia for five months about ten years ago. We ended up talking for twenty minutes about our travels and the various areas of Bolivia where we've visited (he's been to Potosi, the city where I taught English). His name was Marcos and just to clarify for those of you hoping this story ends with romance, he looked like he was in his late forties. Between his Spanish or broken English and my English or broken Spanish we managed to communicate quite well!

It was fun to have a connection to Bolivia as I've been thinking about it a lot over the past few days. Potosi was a very wealthy city at one time and the mountain dominating the city's landscape contains a silver mine which once produced all the coinage for Europe. This brought in a strong colonial Spanish influence in the architecture. Being in Italy reminds me so much of being in Bolivia! It takes a lot of effort for me to not assume this is a third world country. I'm realizing there's an undercurrent of stress and mistrust which creates confusion because I shouldn't be feeling that way while on vacation in Italy! Not sure if it'll go away, but it helps to be aware of where the reactions are coming from.

The tower I climbed.

I would love to see this wall sconce with lit candles in it!

Doorways like this beg to be explored.
Inside I found a walled garden with olive trees and rough window openings overlooking the surrounding countryside.

After visiting San Gimignano (which I've yet to spell correctly on the first try) I drove off into the countryside to some exploring and just enjoy the sight of rolling hills, vineyards, and huge homes.

Discovered this fun door knocker upon my return to Panicale.

Italy Day 3 – It's Raining, It's Pouring

Groceries were first on the to-do list for today. While I was reading online articles in preparation for coming here, I discovered that shops are closed on Sunday and Monday morning. My flight arrived on Saturday night, so I brought along some food to hold me over until the stores opened today. After living on granola bars, instant soup, crackers, and a big chunk of mystery cheese (it's white and thankfully tastes okay) purchased at a gas station upon arrival, I'm ready for some “real” food.

The directions to the nearest grocery store were a little vague but after one wrong turn I found the place. I started walking through the store and quickly recognized the shallow breathing and pounding heart brought on by culture shock. I've felt it in Wales, England, and now Italy, and now the feeling just makes me smile and take a deep breath. I realize it's just my reaction to being overwhelmed and it'll soon pass.

I managed to find pretty much everything I was looking for; I want to shop at the little grocer, butcher, and bakery in Panicale so I didn't want to buy too much. I approached the deli counter for cheese and meat and the woman didn't speak a word of English. We ended up laughing a lot and thankfully brought along a little phrase book to help with a couple of questions. I heard the butcher tell another customer that I'm a tourist and don't speak Italian – I can understand that much! I basically just told her to give me whatever she would suggest – three kinds of cheese and a couple of types of meat. I also asked for foods from Umbria so I could try some local food. She pointed at a block of cheese and said something so I just smiled and said, “Si!” She dug into the block with a big spoon – turns out it's really soft and sloppy. Blech! I tried to ask her what to do with it but she had no idea what I was trying to ask. She called out to another shopper and she came over and it took a while but they finally knew what I was asking. I eventually caught the word, “Ricotta” and realized what I was buying. I asked, “Ricotta?” and they both excitedly said, “Si, si!” and I burst out laughing and nodded. Still not sure what to do with it, but they said it's good on bread with sugar – I think I've seen it mixed into fruit dips and stuff so I'll figure it out.

I also discovered that you have to weigh and print off price tags for each bag of fruit and vegetables. I figured this out because I didn't do it and when I got to the cashier she called for a girl over the intercom and handed off all my fruit and vegetables. When the girl came back, they all had price tags. Good to know! Won't make that mistake again!

I planned to do a bit of a road trip this afternoon but it was pouring rain. I tried anyway, but after over an hour driving in the rain with clouds low on all the hills, I realized it was quite pointless and I might as well return to Panicale and save the fuel. Light rain I can handle, but you really can't explore towns and take photos in the wind and pouring rain.

What horrible visibility looks like in Italy.

Italy Day 2 – Exploring Panicale

This morning I woke up to the sound of the church bells chiming and women calling out to each other somewhere up the street. Felt like I was in a movie. I lay in bed for a little while, trying to absorb the fact that I'm really here. One of the things that surprised me this morning is my reluctance to venture out and be forced to communicate with people in an unfamiliar language. Definitely a combination of pride and fear – two things I knew this trip would combat.

I decided to take a couple of hours to explore Panicale, the town where I'm staying. Get my bearings, relax, and take some photos. It's a really small, walled town clinging to the top of a hill with roads winding around in every direction. It's the kind of place where you really can't get lost because if you try to cover all the roads, you're bound to end up in front of your house at least twice. Trust me.

Looking at Panicale from an approaching road.

The view from the walkway in the photo of the city above.

There were a couple of Italian tourists wandering around, laughing and taking photos of each other. I offered to take a photo of them together. They didn't speak English, but I remembered how to say “How do you say...” in Italian so I asked them how to say “smile”. The guy gave an Italian word and the girl laughed, shrugged and said, “Cheese!” I like it when words work in both Italian and English.

As I walked around the outside of the town I saw a woman hanging clothes on a line outside her window. As I approached her she finished hanging her laundry and proceeded to lean on the window sill and stare at me. I smiled at her but she just stared at me with a grumpy look on her face. I smiled again and called out, “Buona sera!” (“Good afternoon/evening”) and she nodded and smiled. Always love it when I can get a grumpy face to crack.

The grumpy lady who smiled.