Campo dei Miracoli! We went back to Pisa today to visit not only the bell tower (aka the Leaning Tower of Pisa) but also the baptistry and the duomo. All three make up the Campo dei Miracoli, or field of miracles. And today, I had a miracle of my own!
We were bused here from Florence with our study tour; about a 90 minute ride. The number of people visiting can be vast: in a year, at least 5 million. They come on big buses, and loads from cruise ships. The city has 100,000 people and more than half are students. I think our day was a little light on tourists– it was a rainy morning and a Tuesday.
In medieval times, it was a huge event for people from the country to come into the city to attend mass at a cathedral. I like to try to imagine what it felt like for them, but it can be hard. I’ve been in many cathedrals and they seem dark and gloomy sometimes. The cities they are in are built up and busy with modern life. The scale of a huge building is not a foreign now as it would have been to someone in the middle ages. Visiting Pisa’s cathedral brings me a little closer to trying to put myself way back in medieval shoes.
First, everyone in the area is visiting the same site. So, there is a focus to the throng. The agenda might be taking a photo with your friend propping up the tower, or it might be looking at sculpture, or having a moment of prayer, but everyone can recognize each other’s agendas. When a cathedral is in the middle of a city, this is harder since some of the crowd is just passing by.
Second, the three buildings are set in a campo, or field. There is a lot of space around the buildings so that each one stands out, shining and white against the lawn. They look immense, even by today’s standards, because they actually are! Both times during this visit, the Campo has appeared all of the sudden and I have had my breath stop for a second.
We had a guide for an orientation around the outside. The most interesting fact I learned is that the duomo roof, which is half lead and half terra cotta, was designed like this so that the terra cotta faces the sea air as it is more durable in those conditions than lead is. Later, Pisans realised that light would bounce off the various palaces’ towers, onto the duomo roof, and the light could be seen out at sea. The duomo, then, acted as a lighthouse.
We got ready to climb the steps up the tower. Our Cinque Terre leg muscles were still with us. At the base of the tower, the lean, or pitch is very clear. We began to climb, and about halfway up, my miracle happened. At a tiny alcove, I heard “Laura Graceffa!” I looked up, right into the eyes my friend Caroline, from home.
It was so exciting! What are the odds of meeting a friend from home, in an staircase alcove, inside the bell tower of Pisa? Any number of slight variations in our schedules and we never would have intersected in that spot. We continued up together, getting a nice boost from the adrenaline, and got to see the views from the top together.
I believe this will be one of the best travel stories of my life! Mio miracolo!
Our day in Pisa had a full afternoon, but I will make that a seperate post. Ending with the miracle story is enough for today.
2 Responses
What a great day! Your photos are fantastic. I especially like the 2nd one, the picture taken from the tower above is impressive.
YOUR MIRACLE! I’ve heard it said “there are no coincidences” that God is in the details of our life or that everything happens for a reason. For the believer that is a happy thought.
And to quote Albert Einstein. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”.
I have to come back on here – cuz evidently Einstein never actually said the miracle quote I mentioned. I even looked it up before I repeated it – so there’s that. Evidently it’s called a “Neinstein” and “Neinsteins” are a thing.