Pisa and Lucca

Hello!

Well, it is almost bedtime, but I figured I should post about Pisa and Lucca like I promised! Today, I was feeling a little bit better, just super congested. It was a tiring but wonderful day!

PISA

I'm holding it up!

We entered under the arches and into the Piazza dei Miracoli (Plaza of Miracles). While the Leaning Tower is of course the most famous sight of Pisa, I was enlightened that there really is more to this city. Let me explain a bit about what we saw:

The Baptistery of Saint John

This of course is the incredible structure in which those who were not members of the church could become baptized. In fact, Galileo himself was baptized there. It was huge; I think our tour guide said almost 60 meters tall and 108 meters in circumference. I also learned that the Baptistery was acoustically perfect. Every fifteen minutes, the employees would close the big doors and then one of them would walk up to the altar and sing. It was INSANE. I took a video and I hope you'll at least sort-of get the idea of how amazing the sound was.

The Monumental Cemetery

This cemetery is not typical of what we're used to in the States. It is more like a big building with statues and monuments as well as sarcophagi next to the walls and underneath the floors.

It was awe inspiring and quite peaceful, with a pretty garden courtyard in the middle and arches making up the center walls. The Cemetery walls were also once covered in Frescoes. A Fresco is a painting done on plaster walls or ceilings. Obviously, Italy is famous for them. Many of the cemetery's Frescoes had been destroyed in wars, however, there were some removed from the walls being restored and some partially still intact. Something that was super interesting was that in some places where Frescoes had been destroyed, the original artist's first drafted drawings could be seen underneath!

The Duomo

Our next stop was a fantastic, beautifully adorned medieval cathedral. It was stunning, inside and out. The lighting inside was quite dim, so my camera was not taking the best pictures. But, instead I took a video, which I think does the cathedral more justice.

Birth, Life, and Death

Our tour guide mentioned something that I thought was quite moving, although I don't consider myself to be extremely religious. In the 14th century, having the Baptistery, Cathedral, and Cemetery all in one plaza was significant: birth into the world and into the church was a miracle. The cemetery served as a reminder of this and the fact that we all will perish eventually, but if you do good with your life, you may go to Heaven. Some might find this a bit ominous and strange, but I thought it made perfect sense.

LUCCA

Another one hour bus ride brought us to the arches of a small city surrounded completely by walls. It was so cool-- like its own little village stuck in time, with the exception of the modernized shops that looked a bit funny stuck into the old buildings. Every year in July and August there is a Puccini festival there with recitals and operas every night: looks like I'll just miss it.

The Plaza of the Amphitheatre

It is difficult to do this plaza justice in a picture unless it is a bird's eye view. Originally, it was an amphitheatre; that's right guys, friggen real-life gladiators! But, atop the amphitheatre, people gradually began building shops and homes-- keeping the original and very unique circular shape!

Basilica di San Frediano

The church itself was beautiful, but there was something else there that completely blew my mind. The body of Saint Zita, the patron saint of maids and domestic servants is on display (a sign of great respect and awe) and nearly totally preserved. She died after performing countless miracles for those in need. Oh, and by the way, she passed away in 1272! You can decide if her preservation is an act of God or of science.

San Michele in Foro

This is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the archangel Michael who protected the world from the devil with his mighty sword. We did not get a chance to go inside, but the exterior was seriously incredible.



Our next stop was at the bike rental shop! We got to ride bikes around the top of the entire wall that surrounds Lucca. I didn't get very many pictures, because the wind in my hair felt nice and the ride was spectacular, but here's a couple:




Tomorrow holds another all day trip! This time, to Sienna and San Gimignano! I've got to get some rest because it is going to prove to be another very tiring day! I'm looking forward to being completely healthy at some point! :)

Feel free to leave comments! And send me a letter ANYTIME to the address in my first post!!!

CIAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Mandy