People are funny creatures
These pictures document one of the funniest sights I saw in Italy last year: the walkway leading to the Pisa Tower.
For about a quarter mile, all you see are people with their arms thrown up in the air “supporting” the leaning monument. Some of the more creative tourists try to “eat” the tower or “kiss” it or “lift” it. Most people are enthusiastic, really hamming it up for the camera. Others are like, “Just take the picture and get me out of here.”
I witnessed one argument break out between a couple. The woman couldn’t hit the pose that her boyfriend was art directing her to make. He got out from behind his camera to move her arms, hands, legs and hips into the “right” position. Heated words flew between the two. She did not smile for her picture. This is serious stuff, people! (You can see this couple in the fourth-to-the-last photograph.)
The last picture is my Mom in the Pisa pose most people seemed to be aiming for: hand supporting the tower, body leaning slightly back (because the building is so heavy, you know?) and a smile on her face. Bonus points for planting one foot in the street for extra support.
Ice cream in Pisa, Italy
I know, I know: This is a post about Pisa, Italy, so where’s the picture of the Leaning Tower?
Pisa is so much more than its most famous landmark. It’s a college town, home to the University of Pisa, which has been educating students since the 12th century and which once employed Galileo Galilei as a math professor. It’s a walkable little city split by the Arno River and lined with cobblestone streets and colorful homes.
But the tower – just “tower,” as the natives call it – well, my how it dominates most peoples’ conception of the city. Which is why I posted this photograph from Pisa before I posted any Leaning Tower pictures. Those are coming, of course.
Raining & singing in the Pantheon
When my mom and I visited Rome, I couldn’t wait to visit the Pantheon. You see, not only is the building 2,000 years old, it also has a hole in its dome. When it’s sunny, light streams through this oculus; when it rains, water falls through. I could see storm clouds building in the distance. Maybe, just maybe, I’d be lucky enough to see it rain in the Pantheon? My mom said she was ready to go. I stalled. “Oh, look at those pretty engravings over there! Aren’t these crosses over here shiny?” Yeah. What I really wanted was rain, rain, rain. And finally, it came. And it was magical. The rain fell in slow, sparkling sheets. Most everyone stopped what they were doing and stared up at the dome. Flashes popped and cameras clicked. A couple umbrellas snapped open. A red-and-white chain kept visitors out of the direct path of the rainfall but many people still got wet. Oooh. Ahhh.
While at the Pantheon we were also lucky enough to hear a choir performing inside. A Catholic church group from Manhattan, Kansas (my birth city!) were walking from famous public building to famous public building in Rome and singing their hearts out for free. So lovely.
Assisi, Italy
(My mom patiently waited 20 minutes while I waited for the moment above to happen so I could photograph it. Oh, what is it like to have a child so intensely interested in something you don’t care about as much? Thanks, Mom!)
Assisi was by far my favorite stop on the Catholic Extravaganza Tour with my mom. The city is a landscape photographer’s dream: untouched by modern architecture, filled with winding medieval walkways and perched on a hilltop overlooking a vast, green valley. The city’s main draw is St. Francis Basilica, the 13th-century UNESCO World Heritage site that’s the final resting place for St. Francis, who founded the Franciscans. Walking around this old town I could imagine Francis and his followers (including St. Clare, or Santa Chiara, as she’s called in Italian) spreading the Gospel, much to the consternation of some family and friends.
Most everything in Assisi closed by 7 PM, so Mom and I had plenty of time to relax. For me, that meant attending vespers, taking pictures and wandering around. For mom, that meant attending vespers or evening services at one of the half-dozen churches. Mom and I wondered how such a small city – the population is about 3,000 – could support so many churches. Do they not have the priest shortage problem we have in the US? Or is the fact that Assisi is such a global tourist destination enough for the diocese there to keep all the Assisi churches well-manned?
One of the most pleasing and surprising parts of our Assisi visit was our stay at St. Anthony’s Guest House, which is run by Franciscans (of course). I booked a room only a couple days before we arrived, expecting something a step above a hostel. Indeed, the place was sparsely furnished but oh-so comfortable, friendly and pleasant. Every morning they woke up the guests for breakfast by pumping soft classical music over the speaker system. When I visit Assisi again I’ll definitely be sleeping at St. Anthony’s.
St. Francis Basilica
The start of my obsession with Santa Chiara plaza.
Santa Chiara Church, which I consider to be the most gorgeous of the many churches in Assisi.
Flags hanging from a building near Santa Chiara plaza
Assisi as seen from Rocca Maggiore, the hilltop fortress.
Playing with light in Santa Chiara plaza.
Even the grass near a parking lot was beautiful!
This was the start of my obsession with beautiful door knockers
Tourists sitting on a wall outside St. Francis Basilica
Mom standing in a perfect ring of light in Assisi.
Assisi is the home of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscans, known for wearing sandals
Red flowers like these hang everywhere in Assisi.
Sunset at Santa Chiara plaza
St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
I didn’t expect the avenue leading to St. Peter’s Basilica to be lined with palm trees.
(Above: That's me photographing while snowshoeing through a snowstorm. Picture by