Pisa is another 'Ohmygollygosh' place - we all know what's there, but it is not until you walk around the corner and enter the Campo dei Miracolo ('Field of Dreams') where it stands, that you realise what an awesome sight the campanile, or Leaning Tower of Pisa, actually is. It is 54 metres high, surrounded by lush lawns and adjacent to the Duomo, Battistero and Camposanto cemetery. The lean of the tower seems quite pronounced, however it is in fact 4.1 degrees off the perpendicular (which is better than the 5.5 degrees before stabilisation in the late 1990s). All of the buildings are white marble which lends an ethereal atmosphere. The Camposanto, which is contained in a large building surrounding lawns and gardens, is said to contain soil that was shipped from Calvary during the crusades and is reputed to reduce cadavers to skeletons within days. There are many Roman sarcophagie, tombs and statues, including one of the famous mathematician Fibonacci. Of course we took the usual photgraphs of each other holding up the tower (as did every other person there) and we heard an interesting rumour: the Hilton hotel chain is negotiating to purchase the tower to convert it into a luxury hotel - the Tiltin' Hilton. Today we are visiting our Volterra landlady's home village, Casola de Val d'Elsa and tomorrow morning we have to leave this beautiful area, with heavy hearts. Next stop - Milan for just one night, then fly to Barcelona.
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