Fall 2013: Day 4, Pisa & Florence

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

I had about 5 days in Italy. Other than the base, Rome, I contemplated visiting other Italian cities during the trip - Milan, Venice, Amalfi.

In the end, I decided not to bog myself down with too much travel and settled for a day trip  to both Pisa and Florence.

I began the day bright and early and headed to Rome's Termini Railway Station. There, I bought my high-speed train tickets from the counter. It cost me €43.00 (Editor's Note: At that time, I thought the price was alright and pretty fair. On hindsight, I'm pretty sure I could get it for about 30% cheaper if I had planned ahead and got the tickets earlier. Remember, instant or last minute tickets will often cost a bomb)

My train departed at 8.20am towards Milan. Typically this journey will take about 1.5 hours. Since I was heading for Pisa first, I had to take another train from Firenze SMN. This time, it was a regional train and it cost €7.90 and the journey is about an hour.

Now, there's actually 2 ways to get to the Leaning Tower of Pisa by train:

Option 1:
From Firenze SMN, take the regional train to Pisa Centrale. Upon reaching the station, take the exit and cross the road to a bus stop near a building housing Hotel NH. I practically did zero research on how to get to the Leaning Tower, so I had to ask around if there are buses that will take people there. Apparently, there is a free shuttle. And because it is free, it is often full. This bus ride will take about 15 min. Buses comes at intervals, so be prepared to wait. This was what I did.

Option 2:
As I am writing this down, I was also looking up on the website if there was a better way (a very belated research). If I could go back in time, I would probably take this option. Instead of stopping at Pisa Centrale, stop at Pisa San Rossore. From there, it is just a matter of walking over to the Leaning Tower in about 15 min. This is not tried and tested by me, but I would go for this option, as on paper, it looks like something that works for me.

Train ticket machines 

Departure Board - Mine is Train AV9514, heading towards Milan 

The TrainItalia train that I took to Firenze SMN

Climbing up the Leaning Tower of Pisa will need a ticket and it cost €18.00. I think its good advice to book your ticket online here if you intend to ascend the tower. I did not. Personally, I felt that admiring the Leaning Tower of Pisa from afar is enough. And €18.00 is simply not worth it la (the cathedral is free though). Plus, honestly, I'm on a pretty tight schedule due to the absence of prior planning. One more thing, in the area around the Leaning Tower, there are vendors selling souvenirs at a pretty good price. I got a bunch of keychains for a good price from a Bangladeshi. Check them out.

Hard Rock Cafe, Florence
- Photo Credit: www.hardrock.com

I left Pisa for Florence. Florence was a breath of fresh air. I don't know, but Florence was different from Rome. Florence is prettier. Time is limited as I need to catch the train back to Rome. So I first searched for the Hard Rock Cafe in Florence, got my shot glasses and headed to the Piazza del Duomo where the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is. After which it was a short walk to the Palazzo Vecchio. There is a replica of Michaelangelo's David at the entrance of the Museo du Palazo, as well as yet another fountain of Neptune. I was also fortunate enough to witness a double rainbow brought about by a short drizzle earlier in the day!

The pretty massive Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore

Carousel at Piazza del Repubblica

Replica of David

The Double Rainbow

Another short walk led me to Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge across River Arno. Although it did not survive a flood, it survived World War II. Ponte Vecchio is not only a bridge, but it also houses a number of shops, mostly goldsmiths and jewelers. I first know about this bridge when I saw it in an "exhibition of bridges around the world" up the Tower Bridge in London.

Walking along Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio

After sunset, it was time to head back. I traced my way back to Firenze SMN Railway Station, absorbing the night sights of Florence, the back alleys, narrow streets and her cobbled streets.

Firenze SMN Railway Station

Train back to Rome going at 246 km/h

It was a long day indeed, but certainly a fulfilling one.