From the beginning of the trip I had been debating between whether or not to go to Pisa, Italy. This is where the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is located. One on hand, I wanted to go because it was only an hour away from Florence and I really wanted to see the Leaning Tower. On another hand, I really didn’t want to take time away from my stay in Rome. Eventually I decided to go because I knew that if I ever went to Italy again I probably wouldn’t be close enough to Pisa to visit.
On Friday morning I woke up very early, got dressed, and checked out of my hostel. I immediately went to the train station and bought my ticket to Pisa. Although I was extremely confused at the station, I eventually got on the right train and sat on the bus for the 50 minute ride. When I arrived in Pisa I was really confused as to how to get to the tower. When I asked the guy at the station he told me to take a bus to get to the plaza. Well, I realized when I got on the bus that I had taken the wrong one. So I literally stayed on the bus for 45 minutes or so until it circled around and ended back at the train station. At this point I was really frustrated but I tried my best to keep the Spanish “no pasa nada” (don’t worry) mindset and I tried to think of my time on the bus as having an informal tour of Pisa. I was tired of trying to figure out what bus to take to get to the plaza where the Leaning Tower was located so I decided that I would just be better off walking there. I had seen a couple of signs directing to the plaza while I was on the bus so I figured that it shouldn’t have been that difficult to find.
After a 30-minute walk, I finally made my way to the Piazza dei Miracoli, or the field of Miracles, the plaza where the tower is located along with 3 other buildings (the Duomo, the Baptistery and the Camposanto) that make up the cathedral complex.
I was in first grade when I had first heard about the Leaning Tower of Pisa. When my teacher told us about a tower located in Italy that actually leans to the side I thought that it was the most fascinating thing in the world. I didn’t know much about the world at this point in my life. I probably didn’t even know what Italy was, but I made a vow to myself that one day I would go see this mesmerizing tower. That was also back when I thought that it was called the “Leaning Tower of Pizza.”
Words literally can’t express how I felt when I finally got a glimpse of the Leaning Tower. Although it was the very last building in the Piazza dei Miracoli, it certainly stood out from the rest. This is because it literally protruded out of the group of buildings. I immediately drew myself close to it despite the thousands of tourists filling the plaza. When I got up close I saw that this tower wasn’t only remarkable for the fact that it was sinking into the ground but it was also breathtakingly beautiful. It’s made of grey and white stoned marble and its eight stories are surrounded by many columns. The brightly covered green lawn made the beauty of the tower stand out more. In fact, all four of the monuments in the Piazza dei Miracoli were absolutely gorgeous.
As much as I would have loved staying in the Piazza a bit more I had already bought my train ticket for Rome and I was running really late (especially due to the fact that I spent so much time on the wrong bus).I knew that in order for me to make it back to the train station in time I had to take a taxi so I walked around the Piazza asking several people where I needed to go to take a taxi.
Everyone that I spoke to kept leading me back to a spot where a big taxi sign was located. The only problem was that there was no taxi there. I didn’t know whether all of the taxis where occupied or if the taxi drivers were all taking a break at the same time but I waited there and no taxi ever came. At that point I was a little angry and frustrated because I knew that I no longer had a chance of making it back to the train station in time. Again trying to adopt the“No pasa nada” state of mind, I decided to take advantage of my time in Pisa and further explore the monuments in the Piazza.
The crowd in the Piazza was actually the most fascinating thing there. It was pretty amusing to see all of the people posing for pictures in front of the tower and leaning their bodies toward it to that it would look as though they were trying to hold it up. It was also fun to hear the different conversations that were taking place. People watching in Italy had certainly become one of my favorite things to do.
As I was in the Piazza I finally saw a bus show up. It was a bus that went back to the train station so I decided to hop on and make my way back to that part of town. Once I entered the station and talked to someone about needing to change my ticket, I was informed that I didn’t need to change it and that I could just use it for the next train that came around. That was a relief! The next train going to Rome was over an hour and a half away so I decided to have lunch at a restaurant near the train station. I noticed that I hadn’t yet had pizza while in Italy so I stopped at a Pizzeria to have Pizza in Pisa!
At the pizzeria I ordered a pizza with Italian sausage, mushrooms and some type of leafy vegetable. I also ordered a glass of red wine. When the waiter brought the pizza out to me the first thing I thought was “How am I going to eat all of this?” It was definitely a big pizza for one person but it looked delicious so I dove right in. The waiter also brought a wine glass and a small bottle of wine to the table. After pouring some wine into the glass and sitting the bottle on the table it took me a minute to realize that the whole bottle, although small, was for me. There was no way that I was going to drink all of that wine and still be able to walk out of the restaurant like a lady so I only had two glasses and called it a day. I also managed to eat the entire pizza. It was everything that I had hoped for!
I was full and sleepy after lunch and happy that my train to Rome took a couple of hours so that I would have some time to sleep. I went back to the train station and waited for the train to come. Once it arrived I took my seat and had a great nap.
Rome
Several hours later I arrived in Rome. I was definitely refreshed after the nap that I took on the train and eager to explore the city; even though it was a little late. Fortunately, my hostel in Rome was only 5 minutes away from the train station so I found it very easily. Once I arrived, I checked in and got map of the city from the receptionist. I already had a list of places that I knew I wanted to visit in Rome but I didn’t know how close any of the sites were to each other. Since it was going to be getting dark very soon and most places were closed, I decided to just visit the Spanish steps that evening.
The hostel had a free pasta dinner that day for all of the guests so I had a plate of pasta and then went exploring.
The first thing that I noticed about Rome was that the whole city was filled with the biggest, oldest and most elaborate buildings in the most random places. As I was walking around I saw some of the most fascinating buildings on street corners, in between stores and right in front of traffic lights. It was one of the most awkward things that I had ever seen but it was also very cool. These places looked like they belonged inside a museum or something but they were just a part of everyday life in Rome. It must be so fascinating to live in a city with that much history constantly surrounding you.
After walking for a while, I finally made it to the Spanish plaza where you can find the Spanish Steps. The plaza is named after Spain because it is where the Spanish embassy was located. I was really glad that I went to the Spanish plaza at night because it was really beautiful; although I’m sure it would have also been beautiful during the day.
The steps were wide and they were surrounded by precious rose-colored flowers. Many people, tourists and locals, filled the steps and were eating and drinking, having conversations with their friends, and enjoying the atmosphere. At the very top of the steps there was a big cathedral and facing the cathedral was a tall monument. There was a small fountain located at the very bottom of the Spanish Steps.
After eating my gelato I headed back to the hostel since it was getting a little late. Once I arrived I created my itinerary for the next day. Saturday was going to be my last full day in Italy and there was so much that I wanted to see in Rome.
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