A WEEKEND IN PISA

Pisa, best known for the famous Leaning Tower. There is a lot more to Pisa than just its tower and we were going to spend a weekend in Pisa to find out! There are many piazzas filled with charming Italian architecture and streets filled performers entertaining locals and visitors. I had no idea Pisa had over 60,000 students enrolled at its university, so even without many tourists in the quiet seasons, it can still have an air of buzz about the place. Pisa lies in the region of Tuscany, a popular region in Italy that also includes cities like Florence, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo, and Livorno. The beauty of being in Pisa is not only Miracle Square, the home of the Pisa Baptistery, Pisa Basilica and Leaning Tower but the mere fact that you can also be in Florence in less than one hour. Pisa has regular trains to and from Florence, at least 3 in one hour.

Pisa is small and could so easily be explored in one day. This makes a weekend in Pisa perfect for a weekend getaway. Although there are bus services, I would live that alone and take to the streets on foot. Enjoy the sights and the city’s atmosphere from Pisa Centrale, the main train station of Pisa and walk through the town passing by the Piazza Emmanuel and sample the melted chocolate hot chocolate. Even for someone with a sweet tooth that was deadly, to say the least. Continue your walk through Corso Italia and check out Pisa’s ‘retail therapy district’, through that and you have marketed the lead you to River Arno, lined with bars and restaurants. You can come back to this later for the sunset over the river, but for now, the walk continues. Arrive at Piazza Cavalieri and marvel at the small square’s Renaissance history that comes alive in the buildings. This square also has historical significance for the city as the buildings here hosted the political powers of the city in the middle ages.

There are plenty of places to eat and during quite seasons you can also huggle your way to a bargain at the table as the restaurants are keen to have people walk through their doors. So next time you are in Pisa don’t just head for the tower. Take a tour of the city and just wander. You never know what you might discover! Some shots from the trip below.

Where to stay in Pisa: We struck gold as our hotel in Pisa was only meters from Miracle square. We had the Leaning Tower of Pisa only a 150 meters from us, which made exploring a breeze. We stayed at Hotel Pisa Tower. Surprisingly wasn’t that expensive either. As I was traveling with my nieces and sister it was handy that we had a big enough room accommodating all of us. For other options on where to stay in Pisa, check out a filtered list of hotels, hostels, and apartments in Pisa on Booking.com.