 Pisa has its place in the world map of "wonders" with
its leaning tower. And most make the day trip to visit it along
with its adjoining architectural miracle the Campo deli Miracoli
square. But you would be missing much if you concentrate only on
Pisa's perpendicularly challenged tower. Apart from the cathedrals,
botanical parks, museums et al, Pisa university once had a certain
illustrious physicist who changed our world view ---Galileo
THE NATURAL PARK OF MIGLIARINO, SAN, RASSORE,
MASSSACIUCCOLI
Located along the Tirrian coastline, the vast expanse stretches for
about 2300 hectres. The area includes sanoroso estate, farmlands,
lakes and marshlands. The thick coverage of stone pines gives way
at many places to dunes, hygrophilous forest, sandy shores, and
marshlands. But it is water that dominates with bogs, ponds,
ditches, swarms, and channels interlacing the woods of deciduous
and Mediterranean trees. Not surprisingly, this part is home to
over 200 species of birds including herons, egrets, wild ducks,
moor -buzzards and stilt-plovers. A keen eye would help you ferret
out such rare botanical species as sun-dew, the perploca, the marsh
orchid, the pink hibiscus and the royal or florenda fern CHARTREUSE OF CALCI Built in stages, it is perhaps
one of the earliest conscious attempts to harmonize human
construction with art, nature and the space outside. The rich
decoration that imbues every detail makes it an organic and unified
entity. Get acquainted with the daily life of the monks at the
historical and the artistic museum. Feast your eyes on the best of
the paintings above the alters ---- like Franceschini's "St. Bruno
offering the charter house to the Madonna." It is an ethereal
masterpiece. CAMPO DEI MIRACOLI Though
the wondrous leaning tower of Pisa overshadows everything else in
this magnificent square, the medieval architecture in the
cathedral, the baptistery and the cemetery are equally arresting.
Built after the defeat of an Arab attack, the cathedral is as much
a statement of power as of religion. The façade explicitly
lists Pisa's victorious vast exploits. The 4 galleries of arches in
the upper part are repeated in all the four buildings here. The
aisles also follow a specific architectural pattern and open doors
to the sublime marble pulpit. The stained glass and the paintings
are however -a class apart. THE LEANING TOWER
OF PISA
It is actually the bell tower of the cathedral and is made of a
large cylinder tapering into smaller ones. A combination of
shifting subsoil and the sheer weight of the construction,
contributes to its spectacular tilt. The six levels of open
galleries proved to be the unifying element ,
architecturally.BAPTISTERY While taking
the unifying design elements it melds it with the gothic
transfusion of pinnacle and cusps. The conspicuous dome has nine
conic sections. The cone stands on a dodecagon, the columns of
which are divided into four groups by pillars. The pulpit also is
exquisitely beautiful and represents the transition from Romanesque
to the gothic art. It is compact polygonal and is closely adapted
to the surroundings. Scenes from life of the Lord decorate the
walls. Its renowned for it acoustics and you sing a few notes to
hear it reverberate in every direction.THE
CEMETERYa rectangular enclosure made of marble marks the
boundary of this cemetery. This is supposed to be the place where
the crusader spilled the soil they had brought from the Holy Land.
Outside there are blind arches and two simple portals. On the
inside ,you can find a rectangular area surrounded by a porch whose
arcades were successfully transformed into gothic ones during the
remarkable period of Renaissance. Fresco's made by Traini Puccio
and Gozzoli are found in the northern wing. You can also revel in
the monuments, sculptures and ancient sarcophagi of immense
historical and artistic value in the places where luminaries were
buried. Unlike in the present times, local people and even
foreigners used to congregate at the symmetry to pray, chat and
take rest.PIAZZA DEI CAVALIERIThe night
square; designed by Vasari it bears the characterstic late
renaissance architectural shape. It was actually the ancient center
of the town and contains some magnificent buildings. There is a
Roman tower at Palazzo dell'orologio which was build during
renaissance period. The cavalry was erected to celebrate the order
of St Stefan's night that had a stellar roused during the crusades.
The façade is curved and is decorated by Graffiti that is
reached by a two-flight staircase. The building is now a seat of an
important university. There is a Church of Santo de Steffano dei
Cavaleri on the right, which was also designed by Vasari. Its
marble façade is also fascinating.
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