Our class had a scheduled visit to Pisa and Lucca which we finished in one day. In Pisa, we had a tour guide, and I immediately noticed just how touristy this town was. I would go as far as to say that the plaza with the bell tower and cathedral had the most tourists I’d ever seen. Besides that, our tour guide explained to us that the grand cathedral of Pisa was built in the 11th century which I thought was very impressive. We went inside the cathedral and I saw an immense amount of decoration and art. The ceiling was covered in gold leaves and bore the coat of arms of the Medici family. The pulpit, sculpted by Giovanni Pisano, had intricate decoration which told a story about the life of Christ. The granite columns are from the Mosque of Palermo and the large mosaic was inspired by similar works in Byzantine churches. Hanging from the ceiling is the lamp of Galileo and there is a large painting covering the interior of the dome. The fact that I didn’t know this cathedral even existed and now I know how significant it was is absolutely astonishing. I do wish we had spent more time in the cathedral. Afterwards, we went inside the baptistery, which is actually the largest in Italy. The architecture is very imposing and makes it a functioning resonating chamber. We were able to hear a man sing and listen to the marvelous sounds that the echos produced. We walked to the leaning tower and our guide explained to us the history of the tower and why it is leaning. The architects made it solely out of marble, which is very heavy and on top of soft ground. The weight of the tower is so concentrated, the ground could not support it. We also learned about how they corrected the lean so that it did not tip over. After eating lunch, we left for Lucca. We arrived at the walls of the town. They are very wide and have a recreational walkway atop them. I browsed some of the local shops and went into a museum of torture. There was all sorts of torture devices and graphics that explained how they were used. It was very brutal to say the least. That concluded our trip and we returned to Florence. For dinner, my roommate and I decided to eat out at a sushi restaurant which isn’t too rare here. We found one that offered a buffet so we ordered many rolls and had a great feast.
Jacob's Study Abroad in Italy 