Pisa
 

We have heard mixed things about Pisa and are trying to decide how much time to allow to sightsee. We are leaving Florence on a Monday morning and driving to Pisa, where we will spend the night before flying out very early Tuesday am. Our daughter really wants to see the tower, but are there other "must-sees". If not, we could possibly stay longer in Florence on Monday am, or take a longer, scenic drive to Pisa.

Other than the famous Tower and surroundings, there aren't any other true 4-star sights in Pisa. But the cathedral is impressive. There are also a couple of art museums of interest, if not of the caliber of Venice and Florence's Accademias or Rome's Borghese.

And Pisa is a pleasant university town--the oldest part of the city is worth an afternoon's exploration.

Just because the Tower's a cliche shouldn't get you to dismiss Pisa.

Pisa's dirty little secret is that the cathedral, the baptistery and the bell tower are simply STUNNING. (They'd look a lot better if the dimwit responsible for the Tower's engineering consultancy hadn't done his engineering classes at the Pisa Academy for the Congentially Incompetent. But he was ace at making it look pretty).

Anyone who's giving you mixed messages about Pisa's cathedral complex is a moron. It's wonderful - especially if you have the luck to see it on a brilliantly sunny (preferably wintry) day, so the marble really shines. Allow several hours to see it all. Don't waste time climbing the Tower, but spend the time you've saved really looking at the baptistery and the cathedral.

Outside the cathedral complex, Pisa's nice, but there's a lot better stuff everywhere else in Tuscany. Beware of "scenic drives" from Florence. An AWFUL lot of lowland Tuscany is close to hideous. Medieval Italians built glorious towns: modern Italians build truly vile strip malls. Most of them are on valley floors (where most Florence-Pisa roads are). But it's remarkable how much really dismal architecture there is in some of the Chianti hill towns as well.

Pisa can be done in a couple hours. Worth seeing, but if it takes longer to get there than you actually plan on spending there I would spend it in Florence.
LisaS

I have been to Pisa three times and I can tell you that seeing the Campo dei Miracoli, where the tower stands, amazes me with its beauty...every time is like the first time....everyone expects the cliche, but most of us walk away in awe.....there are a few more sites to see, but I think arriving mid-afternoon in Pisa should be fine...

I agree with most of the above. The leaning tower, the baptistry and the cathedral are wonderful and not to be missed, but I wouldn't spend any more than half a day there.