Pisa and Lucca, Italy
On the last full day of our cruise we boarded a bus early in the morning for a trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.
Construction of the cathedral began in 1063 and was finished in 1092. The cathedral was enlarged and a new façade was added in the 12th century. A massive fire destroyed much of the cathedral in 1595.
We walked all around the Piazza and it was interesting to view the tower from different angles.
From some angles it doesn't look like it's leaning too bad, but from other angles it looks like it could topple over at any minute.
It was a cold wet day. Thank goodness Viking provides huge umbrellas to their guests. Passengers from the Norwegian cruise ship were scrambling to buy umbrellas from the many vendors who appeared out of nowhere when the rain started.
A selfie at every place of interest.
Of course you have to get the goofy pictures of trying to hold the tower up.
I love this shot with the straight Cyprus trees framing the tower. It really shows the tilt. According to our tour guide the tower started leaning almost from its inception. It was built on very sandy soil which couldn't support the weight of all that marble. By 1990 the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees. It was closed to the public in 1990 for over a decade, the structures on the leaning side were evacuated, cables were added to stabilize it and the process to try to reduce the tilt began in 1993.
870 tons of lead counterweights were added inside the structure to try to lesson the tilt. Our tour guide said they brought in huge drills on the raised side to gradually remove soil from under that side. By 2001 the tilt was reduced to 3.97 degrees and the structure was reopened to the public. It was declared safe for the next 300 years. It was possible to buy tickets to take the stairs to the top. Irv and I decided not to take advantage of the opportunity. Instead we got tickets to tour the inside of the cathedral.
That's the baptistery in the foreground.
The original doors of the cathedral were destroyed in the 1595 fire. In 1602 Ferdinando de' Medici commissioned sculptors to create new doors that depict scenes from the New Testament.
Adjacent to the baptistery and cathedral is this huge stone building that was an indoor cemetery. Construction began in 1278 and it's said it was built around a shipload of sacred soil from Golgotha. Unfortunately, in 1944 the Americans accidentally bombed the structure destroying most of the sarcophaguses and fresco paintings that were contained inside. Our tour guide was very quick to point out that the Italians have forgiven the U.S.
I'll never stop being amazed by the inside of these churches. Although when we were at church last Sunday I really enjoyed the simplicity of our sanctuary too.
This is one of the more impressive pulpits I've seen.
How do artists do this on the ceiling? Can they ever move their necks again?
Beautiful ceiling.
Even the side altars are elaborate.
Next it was back to our ship for a quick lunch before boarding another bus to Lucca.
The bus dropped us off and we were on our own in this medieval city without a tour guide. Irv and I like exploring on our own soo it was nice to be free for a few hours. First stop was the Lucca Cathedral. Construction began in 1063 and it was rebuilt in the 14th century.
I love the statues on top. Such attention to detail.
Since we didn't have a tour guide with us I can't give you much historical information. I appreciate it when we have a guide because they impart so much information. I even carry a notebook with me to record the important information. We learned from one of our guides that in Europe you have to be a certified guide. Our Florence guide had gone to school for 18 months to learn the history. They apparently don't want just anyone giving out historical information that might be inaccurate.
Oh my, I find this really creepy. Not uncommon to see this type thing in Europe...sometimes its only the hands, skulls, or other body parts.
Another bell tower that isn't leaning.
After leaving the cathedral we just walked the streets of this small medieval city that is still surrounded by an intact wall.
There was a church around every corner.
The bus driver had given us a map of the town so we just wandered around finding the points of interest.
We didn't venture inside all the churches, but we wanted to go inside the Cathedral di San Martino to see the Holy Face of Lucca or the Black Jesus. It is an eight foot wooden carving that is said to have been carved by Nicodemus who helped prepare Jesus's body for burial. It's said that Nicodemus fell asleep before finishing the face and when he awoke the face was completed so it's said to be the true depiction of Christ.
The basilica is very beautiful.
The floors were amazing.
The carving of Jesus, named del Volto Santo, is inside it's own free standing marble chapel inside the cathedral. I was disappointed that the carving is about to undergo some restoration work. We could see inside the chapel that it was wrapped in preparation for taking it down and removing it to the restoration area. It's the oldest surviving wood carving in Europe.
Some history on the crucifix...it disappeared for seven centuries after Nicodemus carved it. Then it was loaded on an unmanned ship, made its way to the Italian coast, was loaded onto an oxcart and made its way to Lucca where its earliest documented existence was in 782 AD. It has been very controversial because, you know, most people think Jesus was a white European that was somehow born to Middle Eastern parents in Israel.
The 92nd Infantry, a segregated African-American unit, cleared the Nazis out of Lucca during WWII. They were so mesmerized by the carving of a black Jesus that many of them returned several times to visit him after the war.
I guess we'll have to go back when the restoration is completed.
More exploring.
I love the narrow alleyways in Italy, however, walking on those cobblestones all day isn't too comfortable for the feet.
We visited Lucca on Black Friday although there didn't seem to be too much shopping going on. Many shopkeepers in Italy have a three hour siesta in the afternoon where the shops are closed.
The city has built parks and walkways on the medieval wall and Irv and I made our way up there to check it out and to find a geocache. There was also a protest going on along the wall. Later we found out it was for Violence Against Women. Darn, I wish I'd understood that so I could have joined in. Lucca didn't have a lot of English speakers or signs in English so we didn't really understand a lot of what was going on. I think it's a town that doesn't get inundated by American tourists which was refreshing.
Can you believe it's this green at the end of November?
This might be a future painting.
A shot of the outside of the wall while making our way back to the bus stop.
Another day with 20,000+ steps!
Next and final stop....Rome.
.
Comments
The leaning tower of Pisa is quite the deal. Being on sandy soil I can see that they they want to be cautious in what they do. If they got rid of the lean entirely there would be a huge uproar.
All that walking, I bet you guys had great appetites for your meals.
I agree with guides having to be licensed to teach history. Look at Florida. Any veteran can now teach at schools there after serving with no education. I find that horrendous considering today's political climate.