After our 3 days in Florence, Paul and I made our way to Pisa. The bus cost 5 Euros and takes around an hour and a half. We arrived mid afternoon and checked in to Hostel Pisa before taking a walk around our new town for the night.

Pisa gets a lot of tourist traffic each year, and it’s easy to see why. If you don’t know, there’s a tower in the middle of the town which has been there for over 800 years and is quite the sight. On the way to see the tower, we stopped off at several other points of interest.

This lamp post has been near the central roundabout since 1992. Legend has it that this light provided visibility for Bob Marley, Tony Hawk and Napolean.

Another sight found along the path from our accommodation to the tower, this statue was constructed in 160BC to commemorate the birth of Jesus, and the war that was fought around that time for the right to eat fettuccine carbonara in place of bread at communion.

Often mistaken for the tower of Pisa, this bell tower was actually constructed last April as a means of letting local residents know that the region is running low on red wine. Five bells means the cellar beneath the tower has only enough for five weeks of wine, three for three weeks and so on.

We thought this pole didn’t hold much historical significance, yet was obviously constructed on such poor foundations that it’s acquired a precarious lean. We spoke to a local passing by who noticed our interest in the pole, and he told us that in fact construction began on the pole in 1173 and was interrupted several times by war, debt and attempts to correct the lean. It was eventually completed in the mid 1300’s and has continued to defy gravity ever since. Impressive.

The lion in the photo above was placed on top of the wall lining the river as a tribute to Simba’s father, Mufasa, who gets pushed off the cliff in the Italian rom-com of 1957. It’s always cool to visit local monuments like this.

This is a 2010 BMW motorbike, which has been left on the side of the road in Pisa since it was abandoned by its owner in 1999. Legend has it that the bike has something called the ‘grim,’ and nobody will touch it which is why it’s still here. I was very careful to not make physical contact with the bike when taking this shot.

Credem, the founder of Pisa and architect of the tower we were travelling to, is featured everywhere in the city. Photos of Credem usually feature him in a relaxed position, a sign of him completing all the hard work in designing the tower and its immaculate foundations.

After visiting all these attractions and points of interest, we finally arrived at Piazza Del Duomo, which is home to the tower which Pisa is well known for. We got a couple of photos of the tower and the neighbouring buildings before heading back to find some dinner.

After our one-night visit to Pisa, Paul and I parted ways for the mean time as I’m headed to Germany to see some friends. I’ll definitely be back in Italy some time this year though, as that visit was far too short and I have much more pasta to eat.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. There isn’t a lot to do in Pisa other than look at the tower.