September 23, 1993
Back to Sestri Levante
We left Florence on the 10 AM train, after saying goodbye to our exuberant host Gabriel (who persisted in addressing me as 'Mister Scott' until the end) and returning a shirt to the laundromat that had strayed into our bundle. Returning the shirt produced an excess of bows, prayer-like gestures and other expressions of gratitude from the two women there, who had evidently been searching for it.
We arrived in Pisa about 11; and, armed with fresh skills and abilities, checked our bags at the station and took the bus to the Duomo plaza. We allowed ourselves about five hours for a blitz tour of this great city, which was just right. It allowed us enough time for a visit to the splendid cathedral here - with perhaps the most beautiful interior of any we have seen on this trip - wonderful frescoes, a beautiful, graceful, not overdone Romanesque architecture, and a delightful marble pulpit sculpted by Pisano. We also had time to gawk in amazement at the famous bell tower (it is no longer open for visits to its interior though); a pass through the elegant baptistery, made memorable by a man who chanted two harmonic tones, bringing out the overtones with the amazing acoustics of the domed interior; and a tour of the cemetery, which is still under restoration from severe damage inflicted during World War II. The cemetery includes a gallery of etchings by various 14th and 15th century artists, including a remarkable triptych by Buottofucco of the last judgment and hell. Hell is populated by many denizens in great agony - garroted from hooks, carrying their own heads, submerged in boiling cauldrons, and so on.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
As we left the cemetery, the first wave of a powerful storm front rolled over Pisa - bringing thunder, lightning and a brief but intense shower. The second wave, a ten minute downpour, caught us in the open on the bridge over the Arno as we walked back toward the station. We ran for cover, waited it out, and then walked to a nearby restaurant for pasta lunch before returning to the station and catching the train back to Sestri Levante and our bikes, where the hotel keepers greeted us with delight, shaking our hands and showing us the bikes still safely concealed behind a curtain in the hallway.
Later in the evening, the main wave of the storm arrived - bringing very heavy rains and a tremendous lightning and thunder display which continued on for an hour or so.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |