Said the Fiorentino to the Pisano

Apparently the cities of Florence and Pisa have had quite a rivalry over the centuries. Not sure exactly why, but we're told they don't like each other. This story was told by our local tour guide yesterday in Firenze (Florence).

Said the Fiorentino to the Pisano... 

          I'd  wish a death in my family before welcoming a Pisano on my door step.

Said the Pisano to the Fiorentino in return... 

          May the Good Lord above, grant your wish. 

Yesterday was Florence and today was wine and Pisa ... (No, not wine and pizza)

You know... the place with the tower.

The tower really does have quite a tilt to it. Construction began in 1173 and less than 5 years into what became a 199 year project, the structure started to sink into its soft and unstable earthly foundation. Imagine. Almost two hundred years later they still couldn't get it right. I can't imagine why they thought it a good idea to finish construction anyway. 

 A more modern stabilization project was undertaken from 1990 to 2001 for fear the structure was unsafe and in danger of toppling. I'm told this moved the tower by some 17 inches toward vertical, but still left it almost 13 feet out of plumb. 

My dad would never have accepted having something that far out of plumb on any of his construction projects.

Here is the typical tourist photo, seeming to show the subject holding up the tower with one finger.

Thanks to Steve and Mary for letting us tag along with them again on this trip.

A handsome fellow posing for us in town.

These guys are everywhere. We saw similar in Spain where they seem to be sitting on thin air or some similar illusion. 

My attempt at artful photography at the Jewish cemetery near the tower.

After Pisa, it was a one hour drive to the Castello Vicchiomaggio winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. What a spectacular place for scenery and a wonderful meal of pasta with wild boar followed by a Chianti braised beef dish with roasted potatoes and beans. Of course it was accompanied by what else. Yup, Chianti. Magnifico! 

Huge wine barrels, set to age their contents for about 18 months.

The dining room and our tour group.

The scenery was spectacular.

Although Pisa was interesting and historic and all, the winery was the highlight of the day for me. I would love to live in a setting like this, albeit closer to home.

As for the Pisa, Florence rivalry...  Florence wins for me in overall interest, architecture (that isn't falling over), arts, history, etc. 

Tomorrow night, it's dinner in Venice.

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