Pisa: The glorious Pisa

Field of Miracles.

From Cinque Terre, our tour group headed to Pisa, which is located within the Tuscany region of Italy. We were heading for the Field of Miracles.

The magnificent buildings of Pisa reflected its glorious past whereby trading links with Spain and North Africa brought much wealth to Pisa. A quick glimpse of history seem to suggest that glory and power may not last, and yet, the wisdom to preserve one's heritage is a cultural asset that will last for generations to witness and to be proud of.

Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of Piazza Duomo. It was intended to complement the Duomo. The architecture is Pisan-Romanesque in style. I can remember the famous science experiment whereby Galileo Galilei climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and conducted his experiments on the velocity of falling objects.

In a nutshell, the leaning bell tower was caused by the unsteady ground which is rich in water. Notice that this bell tower is slightly bent.

At the Field of Miracles, engaged visitors can be easily spotted trying to create the optical illusions of attempts to make the Leaning tower of Pisa either become perpendicular or to cause it to lean. I had wanted a climb of the Leaning Tower of Pisa but gave it a miss so that I could enjoy a walk about the Field of Miracles. Somehow, it was a beautiful experience to view all the structures in the Field of Miracles as a harmonious whole.

Duomo
It seemed that the Leaning Tower of Pisa has in some ways overshadowed the Duomo in the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) that it was intended to complement. Notice the lace-like columns at the front,its intricate designs somehow makes the Duomo impress upon its visitors as a very exquisite and fine building.

Baptistery
I personally find the Baptistery to be very attractive. This is the Baptistery of St. John (Battistero di San Giovanni), and is a replacement of an older baptistery. I read that the Baptistery has astounding acoustics.

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Strangely, I was more attracted by the grass field than the buildings in the Field of Miracles. Perhaps I have been overwhelmed by the stunning beauty of the architecture of these buildings that the plain grass field somehow provided a nicely welcomed break?

To be honest, while I have visited the Field of Miracles and saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I felt that I have yet to experience Pisa. I suppose Pisa is simply more than the Field of Miracles? Nevertheless, at the very least, I have a good glimpse of the beauty of the Field of Miracles.

As I end this post, I realized that the buildings in the Field of Miracles have stood the tests of time. Their presence, in some ways, connect the people and visitors of Pisa across the various generations, reminding all of us of the glorious Pisa.

References:
DK Eyewitness Travel: Italy. (2011)
http://www.behindthetower.com/en/pisa/sights/leaningtowerofpisa
http://www.behindthetower.com/en/pisa/city/trainsintuscany
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptistry_(Pisa)