We went on a day trip to Pisa in our last week.  It is only about an hour's train ride away from Florence.  The Campo dei Miracoli (where the leaning tower is) is really spectacular and the Duomo there was by far our favourite church in Italy.  It was an incredibly hot day though and the trip back in the non air-conditioned train was a bit of a trial.

    Roberta struggling with the ticket machines.  Buying tickets was a saga in itself with us having to try 3 different machines before we found one that would accept cash!

    The Arno river at Pisa.  Pisa was a major port from the 11th to the 13th century, when the river started silting up.

    Cool rush hour type statues on Pisa's main shopping street.

    The market at Pisa.

    Leaning tower of Pisa with the Duomo in the background.

    This small relief is sculpted on the side on the leaning tower.  It shows how important naval power was to Pisa during it heyday.

    The Duomo at Pisa.  It was begun in 1063.

    The interior of the cathedral.  It seemed to have some very Moorish influences in it's architecture, which probably reflect Pisa trading links with Spain.

    Beautiful fresco in the nave of the cathedral.  I think it looks quite Byzantine in style.

        This ornate pulpit took Giovanni Pisano 9 years to complete in 1302 - 1311).  The figures apparently show the arts and the virtues, although I thought that some of the figures looked decidedly unvirtuous!

    The interior of the Baptistry.  A separate building that was built between 1152 and 1284.