Leaning Towers and Paleontology

Today we bid our goodbyes to Riomaggiore, and headed into Tuscany. A short 15 minute train trip saw us arrive in the less spectacular town of La Spezia where we got an even shorter taxi ride to Europcar where we picked up some wheels and the real fun began!! We negotiated the one way road system in La Spezia while remembering to drive on the wrong side of the road fairly easily. Soon we found ourselves on the Italian autostrada - a toll road, which meant also figuring out the toll system on the go. Then, onwards to Pisa. Having decided to tick the Leaning Tower of Pisa off our bucket list en route to Empoli, we arrived in Pisa by mid morning ready to stretch our legs.

Walking into the Piazza dei Miracoli (the Square of Miracles) one is immediately impressed by the contrast of the lush green grass and the white ornate buildings and (luckily for us) against a beautiful blue sky. The square houses four great religious edifices - the Pisa Baptistry, the Pisa Cathedral, the Campanile (the Leaning Tower of Pisa) and finally the Camposanto Monumentale. We walked around these wonderful buildings admiring the intricate designs on their facades.

Of course we were really only interested in one of these buildings - the Leaning Tower of Pisa! This free standing bell tower has a complex history. Construction of the tower began in 1173 and lasted over 200 years before it was finally finished. At the completion of the first three levels which took 5 years, the south side of the building began to sink due to the poor foundations and weak subsoil. For a variety of reasons, the tower was left for a century which allowed the soil to stabilise itself. When construction resumed, the architects built one side of the tower with taller walls hoping to offset the lean. The seventh floor was finished in 1319 and in 1372 the bell chamber added. Over time, seven bells, one for each major musical note were installed. By 1990, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was at an angle of 5.5° and there were great concerns about the safety of the structure. After years of stabilising studies and discussions, major corrective restoration work was undertaken. Installation of cables and removal of soil returned the leaning tower to its 1838 position - tilting by 3.7°. 

Standing 55 meters tall, half of our family wanted to venture to the top. So Andy and Ella climbed the 280+ stairs to enjoy the 360° views over Pisa including spying Katy and I below.

 

Back down on the ground, we then undertook the obligatory tower shots!

A quick lunch followed by coffee and gelato before we hit the road once again, bound for Empoli, our base for the next three nights. Arriving at our apartment in Empoli, Andy somehow managed to manoeuvre our small Fiat car through the very narrow garage door to the tiny parking lot at the rear. We both were concerned at to how we would get out again without damaging us or another car!

Later that night, we meet up with Cipo (an Italian friend from our Southampton days) and his family for dinner. In the main square of Empoli, Cipo and his 8 yr old son Riccardo were waiting for us. Riccardo eagerly declared that his dad found the Museo Civico di Palenontologia (Emopli Museum of Paleontology). What he meant to say was that Cipo was a founding member of the museum and very keen to show us around. This wonderful small museum illustrated the history of the earth focusing on Tuscany. It was full of lots of fossils, some of which Cipo was involved in finding. The museum included geological specimens, fossils, models of dinosaurs fighting and explanations of the recent geological history of Tuscany. All good fun.

The museum tour was followed by a dinner at the restaurant next door, with Cipo, Riccardo and a few others. It was a late night for the girls, but very nice local food. Good to be back in Empoli, which is a great base for exploring this part of Tuscany.