"Pisa a Tourist attraction" a Pisa Travel Page by LizD

We visited Pisa on a half day trip whilst on a Mediterranean cruise in July 2002.

Our visit was a short one and we were hampered by rain, which did not encourage us to wander around much.

Having looked at several other reviews of the town it would appear that Pisa itself has several places of interest on offer and some very pretty view points around the river.

I'm stating these facts before I give you my own opinion, as unfortunately my own views are not particularly flattering. I therefore apologise in advance to anyone who lives there or is overwhelmed by the place in general

Pisa is a town known widely around the world. What for? The leaning Tower.
Oh, if you're into romantic poetry you might know that Shelley's body was brought ashore at Gombo close to Pisa and cremated on the beach.
What else.... trying to think ....mmmmmmmmm the Baptistery and Cathedral are very impressive, but although I can appreciate the architecture of such buildings I'm not interested enough to go into raptures about the intricate design... I think that about it!
Had each building stood alone then I might have appreciated each for its own beauty but that's not the case

On the outskirts of town on a green open space called the Campo Dei Miracoli, (The field of Miracles), stand the Baptistery, The Cathedral and The Tower. The most famous is the Cathedrals bell tower, which leans, hence the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

We did wander across the road to the edge of the town but here we only found several restaurants and shops and stalls selling the usual trinkets.

The tower itself is worth having a look at because of its strange appearance and if for nothing else just to say you've been there.
If you're on a trip as we were spending a half day in Florence and half in Pisa by all means take a look but if I'd paid a fortune to get there I would have been disappointed.

Having not done my homework before I went there, I think I expected the Cathedral and tower to be set within the town centre. Which is probably why as our coach left the area, I remember looking back at these 3 grand buildings standing alone opposite a rather run down looking town and thought they could have been purpose built as a tourist attraction. Oups! Sorry did I really say that!