Pisa
A monument to shabby construction?
The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved.
DAY 9
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On our way to Pisa, we took a side trip to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial which is 7.5 miles south of Florence and the resting place for 4,400 Americans from World II. Upon entering the small chapel, we were given time to reflect on this important time in history and of the valor and bravery of the men and women who served our country.
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After a couple of hours, we arrived in Pisa and marveled at the Leaning Tower, the Romanesque Baptistery, and the Basilica.
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This Baptistery is the largest in Italy and is known for its amazing acoustics. If you make a sound here, it will echo for about 10 seconds. In order to get a more impressive view, we climbed 75 steps to the interior gallery. From this level, we were able to see the entire Baptistery as well as amazing views of the surrounding area.
After stopping in a small café for lunch, we up with met another couple from our group and joined them for gelato. After only a few hours, it was time to continue on our journey to the hill towns of Cinque Terre.
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Pisa's Famous Residents:
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Galileo grew up in Pisa.
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Andrea Boccelli went to law school in Pisa before deciding to study music instead.
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