Pisa Cathedral

The Leaning Tower of Pisa garners most of the attention in the Square of Miracles.  The architectural oddity has been a tourist attraction for hundreds of years.

I'd say second most appreciated would be the large grassy plaza, which in relation to Florence with its magnificent buildings squeezed together, the open space is visually welcoming and allows taking in the grandeur of lovely, historic architecture all around.

We decided to go inside the impressive Pisan Romanesque-style Cathedral on this visit.  However, we soon learned that mandatory reservation times accompanied the free tickets, and we could not get an appointment within the time frame our tour had dedicated to Pisa, because we would be heading to Lucca for lunch.

Disappointed, we wandered around the other buildings, taking photos and appreciating the beautiful sunny day.

Then, we had an epiphany.  We would accept an appointment for whatever time we could get tickets and then just see if the gatekeeper would let us in.

After handing him our tickets, I did the sign of the cross, as we do in our Episcopalian Church in Ardmore.

I detected a slight arching of his eyebrows as he took our tickets, but without comment, the gatekeeper waived us in.

Duomo di Pisa, or Cattedrale Metropolitana Primaziale di Santa Maria Assunta as it is known by its full Italian name, is nothing short of spectacular.

We have been in many churches and Cathedral, and I would say with the possible exception of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, this one holds its own with the best of them, though of course it is not a competition.

Consecrated over 1100 years ago, the interior art and design along spiritual feel accumulated over centuries combine to make this a very special experience.