The Pisa Tower

It was quite a walk from the Pisa Centrale to the Duomo and the Leaning Tower. I would say at least 30 minutes. We stopped by a small delicatessen kind of restaurant and paid a ridiculous check for a simple pasta lunch. We paid €18 and we did not even order water.

All frustrations aside, the Pisa Tower was breathtaking. Prior to this visit, it existed in my mind in a variety of images. Some impressionistic, some realistic, and some cartoon-like. And here it is, the real Pisa Tower in full view, leaning against the azure of a bright summer sky. It looked quite bit smaller and shorter than I thought it would be.

And surely, the Duomo and the Dome next to it were nonexistent in my impressions of Pisa.

And the Pisa Tower becomes a solid memory for me as I headed up its stairs to its top. I came to appreciate that this is rather the point of a visit to Pisa, the feeling of gravity within a leaning structure. It was certainly not about the funny touristy photographs and not the food.

The hike up the Pisa Tower was almost excruciating for me. I would say there were more than three hundred steps. What kept me going was the hope that the view up on above would make it worthwhile. The tourists were much of an annoyance as well. The staircase was narrow, and you could only walk up continuously without taking breaks. The other tourists kept pushing behind me.

Now that I have seen the views on top of Pisa Tower, I would say the view was worthwhile, but more importantly, I had the experience of walking upon this leaning structure, step by step. I came to understand this wonder of the world from within its difficult inner intricacies, made of slabs with uneven surfaces. Maybe if I lean, the tower would fall.

When I reached the top, my knees nearly gave in. I have never known myself to fear height, but the openness up there, with few rails to guard the tourists, was very scary to me.

If not for the annoying tourists everywhere, it would have been the sweetest Tuscan dream for me.