Pisa...and Andrea Bocelli at the Teatro del Silenzio

During the last few days of July, Lance and I had plans to attend the Andrea Bocelli concert in his hometown of Lajatico.  Lajatico is a small hilltop village that is located in the province of Pisa in the region of Tuscany.  We departed on the train to Pisa early on Saturday morning so we would have time to explore the city before the concert that evening.  Our plans were to stay two nights...because a rain date for the concert had been scheduled for Sunday night.  However, at the last minute we received an email informing us that the rain date had been changed to Monday night.  More about the concert later...

The city of Pisa straddles the Arno river and flows to the Ligurian Sea.  It's known for the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa...but it also has many historic churches and several medieval palaces.  It is also the home of the University of Pisa which dates all the way back to the 12th century.  Pisa has a rich history of serving as Italy's leading maritime republics, which helped to finance much of the city's architecture.  However, in 1284 the defeat of their maritime power began the decline of the city.  Eventually it also lost its role as one of the main ports of Tuscany.        

Below is a picture of the Arno River.  The Hotel Royal Victoria, where we stayed during our visit, faces the river.   

The Royal Victoria is one of the oldest hotels in Italy.  The oldest part of the building is a tower erected by the Winemaker's Guild in the 11th century.  The building served as the guild's inn and and their headquarters.  Over the years many changes have been made to the interior of the building.  During 1904, Art Nouveau decorations were added to the walls, ceilings, and some windows.  Although many rooms were painted over by the US army, which occupied the hotel at the end of WWII, the room Lance booked still had some of these decorations.  Currently, they are busy doing restoration work on the hotel in hopes of bringing it back to its former glory.               

Flowers ordered by Lance for me in honor of our 5th wedding  anniversary

The hotel is a family run business.  It is not fancy or expensive...but it has a lot of history and character.  The staff was friendly and helpful, and we enjoyed our stay there.

       

The ceiling inside our hotel room

A common area outside our hotel room

This was a small dining room that offered a free breakfast buffet every morning

On the fourth floor there is a small terrace where you can sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine or read a book.

Below are a few photos of other interesting buildings that you can find in the city of Pisa.

No visit here would be complete without a stop at the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.  Many people come for the day just to see this famous bell tower.  The tower actually began to lean during its construction in the 12th century due to its poor foundation.  

Lance and I reserved a ticket to tour the tower on Sunday night...and climbed the 296 winding stairs to the top.      

The tower is eight stories high

Above and below...views from the tower as we climbed to the top

Near the top of the tower you can come out onto a balcony and walk all the way around the building.

A few additional steps up a very narrow staircase will take you to the bells that are mounted at the very top.  

Many people pose for pictures that will make them appear like they are holding the tower up.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in the Piazza Del Duomo.  This free standing bell tower is located behind the Pisa Cathedral...and the Pisa Baptistery and cemetery are nearby.  They were all declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.   

Pisa Cathedral

Pisa Baptistery

Below are a few photos of the cemetery which we had the opportunity to tour briefly during our visit to the tower.  

Pisa  Cemetery

Restoration work being done on the frescos.  

We also visited the Botanical Gardens in Pisa.  There weren't many flowers in the gardens ...but I did like the construction of this small museum.    

An exhibit inside the museum

While in Pisa, we were happy to enjoy lunch at two different mom and pop restaurants, which serve delicious and cheap homemade food from noon to three.  As you can see...they weren't fancy, but at both places (only one pictured below,) lines of locals and tourists began to form at lunch time.  Thanks to Rick Steves for this worthwhile tip.  

As for the concert...the photo below tells the tale.  After boarding our chartered bus on Saturday evening, and traveling all the way to the venue...the concert was cancelled due to a downpour of rain that lasted for several hours.  It was the first time in the concerts history that rain had cancelled the event.  That meant an extra night in Pisa was added to our agenda.  

By Monday, the skies had cleared...the sun came out...and we took off once again for the concert.  The small town of Lajatico is charming and has about 1,300 people who live there.  Nearly 10,000 people from all over the world attend each concert.  Busses bring the people in from all the surrounding areas.  Below are a few photos of the town.  

The Tuscany countryside was stunning and we were glad we had the opportunity to see it.

The actual venue where the concert is held is called the Teatro del Silenzio because Andrea Bocelli only holds a concert there for two days out of the year and all the rest of the days are silent.    

While waiting to go to the venue we met this young man in town when we stopped for a drink.  His name is Martin and he grew up in Mexico City...but currently attends the university in London.  After visiting in town with him...we were pleasantly surprised to learn that he was sitting one row behind us at the Teatro del Silenzio.  We enjoyed our visit with him and wish him well as he begins a new school year.    

Andrea Bocelli started off the event by entering the stage on a white horse.  The concert was a specular event...with fireworks, confetti, guest performers...including Andrea's son, Matteo...a large orchestra, aerial artists and hundreds of performers from his little hometown.  It was an unforgettable evening.      

We returned to our hotel in Pisa at 2:00 in the morning...exhausted, but happy to have experienced such a wonderful event.