Pisa and Portofino

On the road again!!! I just can’t wait to get on the road again!!! Today was a real surprise. Both Pisa and Portofino were STUNNING and they both exceeded our expectations. 

The Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), formally known as Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), is a walled 8.87 hectare area located in Pisa and is recognised as an important centre of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes in the world. The square is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistry, the Campanile (Leaning Tower) and the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery). Partly paved and partly grassed, the Piazza dei Miracoli is also the site of the Ospedale Nuovo di Santo Spirito (New Hospital of the Holy Spirit), which houses the Sinopias and Cathedral Museums. In 1987 the whole square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The magnificent white marble buildings almost twinkle in the sunshine. The lush green grass and azure sky added to the glorious picture. The baptistery is round in shape with a dome for the roof. At the heart of the piazza is the Duomo, the medieval cathedral of the Archdiocese of Pisa, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary of the Assumption).

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the campanile or freestanding bell tower of the cathedral. It is known worldwide for its nearly four degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is situated behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in the city's piazza after the cathedral and the baptistery. The tower's tilt began during construction in the 12th century due to soft ground on one side which was unable to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed in the 14th century. It gradually increased until the structure was stabilised (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

I am not exactly sure what I was expecting but the tower and surrounds were much more beautiful than I thought they would be. 

While we have been away, we have been following Laura Jane Hargreaves nee Hilditch as she and her new husband Shaun travelled through Scotland and then Europe. As we were moving north, they were moving south and today we crossed paths in Pisa. It was lovely to sit and have a drink and a chat with them before getting back on the bus for the drive to Santa Margherita and Portofino.

Santa Margherita which is a seaside town in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria is located 35 kilometres southeast of Genoa and is known for its port which is used for both tourism and fishing activities. It was from here that we caught a ferry to Portofino.

The views as we cruised along the Italian Riviera coastline were beautiful and the fishing village of Portofino a glorious surprise as we navigated our way around the bluff. Pastel coloured houses, high-end boutiques and seafood restaurants fringe the piazzetta, a small cobbled square overlooking the harbour, which is lined with super yachts. It certainly is the playground of the rich and famous. We found a bar and sat sipping our Coke Zero and local beer pretending that one of the super yachts moored nearby in the beautiful clear blue water was ours. Portofino is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to pay the price for a hotel room (up to 40,000 Euros per night for a water view) so it was back on the ferry and then back onto the bus for the hour long trip to Rapallo, our home for the next two nights.