A little before the departure time I walked down to the bus stop to await the ride to Pisa. The journey to Pisa and return was a circular route, travelling north of the Arno before turning west towards Pisa. Return was south of the Arno, though actually much closer to the river than the outward journey.
The area has quite a history of hilltop towns, and towers were all the go, as a symbol of power and wealth. (Well, let's face it, they surely are less expensive to build than a cathedral with a huge dome!). Looking closely, you'll see this hill has a building on top with a tower!
The bus driver found the way to the bus parking lot, and from there we walked to the old part of Pisa. At least, I presume it was the old part, since it has walls around it. Cities haven't been building walls for quite a few centuries. We managed to stay together as a group and entered through this gate, making our way inside where our guide from the bus introduced us to a second guide so that the group could be divided for easier management.
The three major buildings in Pisa, at least as far as tourists are concerned. Left is the Baptistry, then the cathedral and finally the leaning tower on the right. The tower looks somewhat as though it's part of the cathedral, although it's quite separate, as will be seen later. Note that the Baptistry does not have the lean which is visible here - that is an artifact of the camera lens.
From the far side (above) of the Baptistry, looking towards the Piazza dei Miracoli (or Miracle Square, so named by the local citizens who were amazed at the size of the cathedral during its construction) and also the front of the cathedral. It was a hot day, so the shade of the Baptistry was much appreciated!
The Baptistry. I did ask why there are two different styles of roof - one part tile, one part metal, but never received an intelligent answer. I think the building in the back is a mausoleum; the soil here is wet and not very predictable, and I think the mausoleum solves the issues of below ground burial (such as coffins working their way out), such as also happens in New Orleans.
Morning Walkabout