Thursday, October 30, 2014

Crazy Travel Weekend Day 2: Pisa and Lucca



After making the 4.5 hour drive to Siena the day before, we made our home base La Spezia which is only an hour from Pisa and Lucca, and is minutes from Cinqueterre. We started day two in Pisa. 

Over the course of our travels, we're always trying to see how much we can see in one day. We've proven big cities can be done in one day, but what about two cities? If you're seeing Pisa and Lucca, the answer is yes. In fact, the two cities are perfect for a one day visit. First, we started with Pisa. The nice thing about Pisa is that all there is to see is the Field of Miracles--the leaning tower and the adjoining buildings. It's also completely free, unless you actually want to go in the buildings, which we opted not to do. We had too much fun taking pictures around the buildings...including the must-do "holding the building up" shots (which pretty much everyone seems to do)




Then we took pics around the buildings. The thing about Pisa is that the sights in the Campo Di Milagros are simply breathtaking. We spent an hour just enjoying the 3 main buildings. In fact, they made a great place to sit and draw.






As a bonus, we found this cool fallen angel sculpture. Looks like The Doctor has been here...


To enjoy Pisa, you really only need an hour....unless you get stuck in the hoard of crowds and outdoor market vendors just outside the walled Field of Miracles area. After enjoying Pisa, we recommend heading over to Lucca. It's the typical Italian city, but with an added bonus: you can bike around the city on top of the ancient city walls. Bikes are relatively cheap to rent (about 3 euro), and the wall is an enjoyable sight-seeing tour. If you're looking to save money on bike riding, you can get around the city at a leisurely pace in about 30 minutes.





After biking the city, we followed Rick Steve's advice to get some Cecina in the city. We went to Rick's recommended location, and weren't the only ones. Much of the store was filled with Americans holding Rick Steve's books. The cecina, which is a garbonzo bean crepe, was as good as advertised...and it's a great deal. About 1.50 Euro a slice.  And in Lucca, Cecina isn't the only great food, they've got amazing Focaccia and other types of breads.


We also got to enjoy some of the sites in Lucca. Their churches are amazing, and we even got to enjoy a procession by youth in the city.



Overall, Lucca and Pisa make a great day of sight-seeing.

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