Is Pisa Worth It?
 

I know this topic has come up many times before, but just wanting to get some more (and more recent) views on whether the Leaning Tower of Pisa is worth a trip?

We are driving from Florence to Milan in September, as we are going to the F1 Grand Prix and don't have a lot of time to spare.

My husband, who used to be a tour guide in Europe says we have enough time to drive by Pisa and take the obligatory shot, but not really enough time to fool around going to the top, and that it's not very interesting there anyway.

I thought the statue of liberty was a bit less than exciting and smaller than I imagined when I saw it, and didn't bother going to the top. Is this the same sort of situation?

(I'm not worried about the tackiness of all the junk souvenir sellers and stuff there...that's just par for the course).

Any thoughts out there?

There is lots of junk stores and PICKPOCKETERS. It didn't take us much time to see and take a picture. We did not go to the top. We were on a train and just got off one looked and got on on about an hour later.

We saw part of the Pisa tower from the autoroute as we were driving by, that was enough for me; I don't think it's a "must see or must do", or that you have to have the
"obligatory picture" to prove you were there.
There are far more interesting things to do or see in Italy. I'd rather discover something I haven't seen yet or else, spend more time in a museum.
But then again, I am the type of person who
did not bother going to the area around the Eiffel Tower in Paris; I could see the tower from our hotel, that was enough for me.

I would say 'yes, go' if you had enough time but it's a rather large detour when you're driving from Florence to Milan.
All in all, I wasn't disappointed by the Campo dei Miracoli. Not just about the tower but I was even more impressed by the view of the Battistero, the Duomo and the Torre, all together in just one look.
Like many others, we just stayed there for an hour to take some pics and went on to Lucca for the rest of the day.

As others have said there isnt much to the town and an hour is sufficient. HOwever, for me, seeing it up close was worth the effort. Enjoy!

I guess it all depends on whether or not you think you will ever return to Italy. When we went last year, we thought that it might be the only chance to go to Italy again; budget, kids ages, available babysittiers at home, our health, etc. Knowing this, I wouldn't have missed seeing one of the most prominent photo icons of Italy for anything. Think of the 5 most famous photo subjects of Italy, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa WILL be among them. It took us about two hours to visit the whole area, including the baptistry, Duomo and climbing to the top of the Tower. There is parking close by, and it is relatively easy to get off and back on the SS. I am a little sorry your hubby is so jaded about travel in Italy; "not very interesting there anyway"??? Then again, I was never much impressed with the Grand Canyon. Maybe it's all about perspective.

Let's see, a beautiful church/duomo built in 1063, a Baptistery with *unbelievable* acoustics built in 1152 and one of the most beautiful campanile/towers in Italy built in 1173.
If the tower *didn't* lean I think that many people would be telling posters that if they ever have a chance, stop by Pisa and visit a beautiful 12thCen. church/baptistery/tower that's overlooked by the *vast* majority of tourists and off the beaten track:). Regards, Walter

i think it is most definitely worth the trip. i have been twice and cant wait to show my husband when we go in oct. i took a train from florence(that is where i was studying)and went for just a look and basically turned around and went back home. i just think it was just incredible to see after always seeing in pictures.

Our family enjoyed Pisa as a daytrip to see the Tower.I did not know if the kids would get over there again, and I really thought it a important site for them to see.
Esp. as some pretty major scientific experimentations were carried out there!

But, the highlight for all of us was the Bapistry as Walter mentioned.
Absolutely stunning !!!!
We were lucky enough while inside of it, to hear one of the guards give us a demonstration of the acoustics.
I closed my eyes and felt as if I had been transported back 500 years.
and the walk up to the inside of the dome is also well worth it as you can look out over the whole area with the Tower in front of you.

We liked it.Obviously :-)

we saw,we climbed,but thought it was NOT worth the trip .....

We were on an excursion from Livorno to Florence with a 2 hr stop in Pisa-
Way too much time lost in Pisa...

Not at all worth the stop for a photo op.....

Buy a postcard....

Personally it's worth it to me if I were staying in Florence. If I were staying in Rome I would not go.

We were in Italy in March, but never made it over to Pisa. Our High School English Teacher (with students) was there about 2 weeks before us and it was on their itineray.
When I talked with some of them after the tour, Pisa was at the top of the "best memories". Oddly enough, it was not the tower, but the Duomo and the Baptistery that impressed them. They must have had a great guide who talked to them about the history involved. They took wonderful pictures and had some very interesting information to share.
We're taking a Med cruises in October and stopping again at Livorno. Guess where we'll be going this time? Right you are! I think the tower has "blinded" people to the other treasures in this town and they are not aware of them.
Happy travels!

Just came back today from Montecatini - took the train to Pisa - were only there for a couple of hours but feel it was well worth it - As others said- the church/baptistery/architect etc. are well worth the trip. We were to Italy before and made sure that we got to Pisa this time.

Pisa? Are you bloody mad???? My god, I'd rather spend an evening talking to Posh Spice about Keynsian economics (without drugs or alcohol) than go back to that cesspool again. Pisa makes Walmart look upwardly mobile.

I thought it was worth it in that it only took up 3 hours max of our time (I think)--that included taking the train from Florence, walking to the tower, taking the pictures, walking back to the staion, and the train trip back to Florence. And we never felt rushed.

I had always wanted to see the tower, so for me it was worth it. If you walk from the train station, make sure to ask at the tourist info center for amp and ask for a good walking route--there's the nice way to go and the not-so-nice way to go. The nice way is very charming.

The Tower, Duomo, Baptistery....all worth it. The rest of the area stunned me at how much of a dump it seemed. An hour is more than sufficient. The fact is, the buildings are impressive.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I can see it's very much a matter of personal taste.

I can appreciate all of you who have said that the Duomo and the baptistry are far more interesting. Unfortunately, religious sites are not at the top of my priority list, especially after having been to SO VERY MANY already in various parts of Europe..they all look the same after awhile to me, I'm afraid...

So my whole point of going to Pisa is to get the obligatory shot, only because we're passing near, and maybe go up the tower, because it's open again, and you can.

I live in Australia now, but grew up in America, land of people obsessed with getting to the top of large structures, and I guess I feel it is my duty (and maybe a bad habit) to climb to the top of things!

I am therefore trying to ascertain whether or not to spend the time it will take in Pisa (and this is after pre-booking tickets) to climb to the top.

Would appreciate comments from those of you who have done so as to whether or not it is worth it.

Sorry to disappoint those of you who think the baptistry and duomo are so great, I won't be spending my time doing that.

And we are traveling by car, so will not be taking a train or any public transport to get there.

Just to point you in a direction, I am still disappointed that the rain and long lines prevented me from going up in the Eiffel Tower...something many find unnecessary, but I DEFINITELY want to do.

On the other hand, I found the statue of liberty disappointing and a waste of time.

Also, I feel I MUST clarify something for "JimColorado", because my husband would hate the misrepresentation. My husband did NOT say that there is nothing interesting in ITALY! For heaven's sake, it's his favourite place on the planet! Just Pisa that he thinks is a waste of time.

My wife and I climbed to the top of Pisa in 1971. I still remember how much more the slant was when you were in the tower than how it looked down on the ground.Got some great shots!

The last time we were at Pisa the tower was still closed so we were unable to do it 30+ years later.

I think that you can see from all the postings here that Pisa is a 50/50 proposition. But I can also tell you that one of the first things you will be asked after you return from Italy is: "Did you see the leaning tower?".

Many people here think it is "cool" to downgrade the tower. But all have been there once! It is still one of the most visited sites and worth the trip.

Just go do it!

Here's a thread I posted earlier this year on how I really enjoyed my trip to Pisa...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...name=crazymina

Yes, the area surrounding it is tacky, but it makes for great people watching. I wouldn't go hours out of my way for it, but would definitely do it if I was in the vicinity. Regardless of how cheesy many think Pisa and its environs are, it is still a unique landmark, undeniably recognizable, and you will see nothing like it in the world.

I guess my experience in Pisa was unusual. I accompanied my dad to a Psychiatric conference at the University of Pisa where he was one of the lecturers, so we stayed several days. I have to say, I really enjoyed myself. I got to know the town pretty well, as it is small and easily walked. It is a pretty town, and I thought that the ruins and old buildings were very interesting. As for the tower, I really was surprised at how MUCH it tilted, it really was worth seeing it in person. It wasn't open for tourists at that point, about 5 years ago. We also took a day trip to Lucca, which is quite nearby, that was so much fun. We loved the morning markets there. Everything we ate was fantastic, including a dinner at some fancy restaurant in Livorno that was paid for by the conference. We went to another great restaurant right outside the walls of the city.

Hey, it's still Tuscany!

Naomi

Pisa is not a dump, not a cesspit. It's just a city that the allies have thoroughly bombed during WwII. Only the Campo dei Miracoli was spared by the bombs (and a few other monuments escaped by chance). It was, obviously, rebuilt afterwards, but it is not surprising that it was rebuilt as a modern industrial city, afterwards it is one of the main indutrial areas of Italy (along with Milano, Turin, Genova, Livorno, Mestre and Naples).

Thanks again everyone for your input. It is interesting how you can tell people with similar tastes to yourself by what comments they make.

I think the final verdict for us is going to be to swing by rather quickly, have a quick photo, maybe get some food and be on our way.

As I said, I still like the idea of going UP things, but considering all the places I HAVE been in Italy and all the other places we are yet to go on this trip...

It sounds like you either need a LOT of time to see things properly there and get past the junky facade to see all the little quirks of the place or do it quickly.

Doesn't sound like there's much room for an in-between!

Thanks again everyone!

I honestly believe if you have to ask this question seriously then Pisa will not be "worth it" for you. I notice you haven't asked if Florence is "worth it" and if you did you might very well be surprised at some of the answers you get. I've been to Pisa and found myself absolutely transfixed by the tower at one point..but I was also transfixed by some of the artwork in Florence, too.
I just think if you have to ask then it won't be worth it for you.

Well, Bootman, I have to admit you have a point there!

I know the places I definitely want to go, but since we are passing by Pisa and missed it last time, since it's such a well-known landmark, we may as well pop by.

My husband, however, who was a tour guide and has been there a million times thinks it's a waste of time.

So you can see my dilemma.

Maybe I've got too much time on my hands, but I find it interesting getting everyone's point of view on this and many other things, just to have fun anticipating the trip if nothing else!

One more thought: if you are travelling from Florence to Milano, you will neeed to take a pretty substantial detour from the main road. Florence and Milano are connected by the A1, which is the main, largest and fastest (except for the Firenze-Bologna part, that can get pretty crowded) autostrada. In order to get to Pisa, you will have to drive all the way along the usually chocked Firenze-Mare autostrada, than turn suth towards Iisa. After you are done with pisa, move back north until La Spezia, and up towards par ma along the Cisa austroada (also choked with trucks, usually driven by Duel-like mad drivers) and take the A1 in Parma. Lots of time more driving. I would not hit Pisa during this transfer. I would instread, drive straight up from Firenze to Milano. So much faster and less tiring!!!

Thanks for the intelligent post, Alice. This is one of the sticking points for us, that we have to go a bit out of the way to even bother with Pisa.

We're only in Milan for the f1 Grand Prix in Monza because we realized we'd be there at that time and couldn't bring ourselves to miss it!

We had originally planned to touch down in Rome and leisurely make our way up to Cinque Terre via San Gimignano, Florence, Pisa, etc., but now that we're rushing to go to the GP, we're having to scale everything back a bit.

We will only be in Milan for 2 nights, and 1 day, and will need to be in Milan the day we are driving up from Florence, so that we can make our 5:45pm reservation to see "The Last Supper"!

So anyway, I think you're probably right...save Pisa for another trip when we're not so rushed, so we don't have to stress about getting to Milan "on time"!

A few more thoughts about Monza GP and Milano. You do not actually need a car for this part of the trip, so, unless you will need a car afterwards, you may consider dropping it in Florence, coming to Milano by train, going to Monza by train + bus (it seems quite complex, but I assure you that it is fsater and more confortable than by car: I mean, I can hear the cars from my home as they are racing in Monza, so I know the crowds!) and... Do not miss a troll in the center of Monza! Nice medieval and XIX century town center!

Thanks again Alice.

We're taking our car to Milan, but we're taking the train from Milan to Monza for the race.

That's why we wanted to be located relatively near one of the main train stations, preferably Garibaldi.

I suppose it would make sense for us to check and see which hotel, the Verdi or the Four Seasons has cheaper, more convenient, or more secure parking too!

bump

Do not stay near Porta Garibaldi, it's a quite ugly area. Just make syre your hotel is close to a subway station, the subway network in Milano is very efficient and the trins are safe tro travel on at all hours of the day and the night.