On Tuesday we headed to the Hertz facility and rented a car so we could take Isabelle’s chosen side trip to Pisa.  We found the site of a few dozen cats, all of which looked exactly alike, apparently warming themselves on the hoods and tops of the darker colored vehicles to be humorous.  Anyway, Pisa is a little over an hour’s drive from Florence on a nice divided four lane highway.

Construction on the tower began in 1173 and it almost immediately began to shift as the foundation only consisted of a ten foot deep stone pad.  Apparently all the buildings in the complex are leaning.  In the European tradition, construction continued for only another 167 years.  In 2001, engineering support was added to assure the tower would remain at its current angle, thus assuring the main attraction that supports the Pisa economy.

We spent time in the Cathedral, Campo Santo (cemetery with fabulous frescoes) and the domed Baptistry (built 1260) where we witnessed the amazing demonstration of the dome’s perfect echo production.

We returned to our favorite wine bar from 2008 when we visited it every afternoon but lo, management had changed and it just wasn’t the same.

I am having camera issues as my most versatile lense hit the pavement for the second time recently and is no longer performing at all settings.