Pisa

[Jim64]

Thinking of a weekend in Pisa (my first trip to Italy). Has anybody been & would recommend. Is there nice bars / resturants for people watching. Any information would be appreciated.

[grasscarp]

If you get the chance would suggest you go to
The Ancient Ships of Pisa
(beside San Rossore railway station)
Via Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli (former Via Andrea Pisano)
Visiting hours
Friday, Saturday and Sunday
No reservation needed, with guided tours starting approximately every 90 minutes:
A.M.: 10.00 and 11.30
P.M.: 14.30 and 16.00

http://www.behindthetower.com/en/pisa/sights/a ncientshipsofpisa

I went and it is amazing. During building work all these 2000 year old ships have been discovered and you can visit the site and see all the artefacts, and even one skeleton. Fascinating and better than any other tourist attraction there.

[Lil O'lady]

The 'miracoli' - the area with the leaniing tower, the cathedral and the baptistery - is uttterly beautiful, especially if you can dodge the tourists posing for photos 'as if holding up the leaning tower'....
The Baptistery seems to have been designed with its echo in mind and occasionally the guide will demonstrate this by singing part of a Gregorian chant, which then harmonises with itself - eerily beautiful.
Look out for Leonardo of Pisa's monument in the cathedral - Leonardo Fibonacci. mathematician.
The stretch between the railway station / river and the Miracoli is pretty ordinary. Most of the bars and resto's are between Miracoli and the river, and east of that along the river towards the university area. Last time I was there (February) there were a few druggies haunting the shops near the sation and around the public dispensary at the river end of via Roma, but nobody bothered you.
Piazza Dante in that stretch has a nice selection including my personal recommendation, Trattoria da Stelio.
My observation was that barring public holidays when the crowds come out, there is not a big bar / drinking culture. And in winter everyone goes to bed at about five in the evening and all the shops shut. - nothing doing at all out and about.
In the tourist shops you can buy anything with a leaning tower on it. Even leaning tower pasta shapes.

If you are there long enough, it is a piece of cake to get the fast train to Florence for the day. The station at Florence tips you out at the end of the street that goes to the cathedral - which has 300-odd steps up the dome to a fabulous view.
And lots and lots of handbag, shoe and bling shops.

[filthiestfis]

I have been to Pisa and I would say that 2 days max is sufficient to see it properly. Best thing to do is to take the train to Florence where you can easily spend a week sight seeing.

[Lil O'lady]

Filthies right - the area around miracoli is beautiful but the rest of the town is stunningly ordinary - dare I say dull?