It is one of the most iconic monuments in Italy. And, yes, the Leaning Tower really does lean, despite the heroic efforts of tourists to push it back in position in their photos. There weren't many tourists when we arrived from Lucca this morning, just a busload or two of Chinese day-trippers from Florence.
The Leaning Tower may be the most famous site in Pisa but we were most impressed with the red ochre "sinopas" from the Campo Santo, the cemetery. The walls under the loggia were originally covered with frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible. When a WW II bomb set the roof ablaze the heat melted the wax used to prepare the walls for painting, destroying many of the frescoes. With the paint gone the red ochre "sinopas," the original drawings transferred from the cartoons to the walls, were revealed. They have since been removed to the nearby museum where they are safe for all to see.
The Duomo and the Baptistry share the piazza with their more famous mate. The combination of green grass, blue sky and white marble are a photographer's dream, but the rest of Pisa all the way to the River Arno is a bit dismal, nothing like Verona.
