Cinque Terre & Pisa, Italy Friday September 23, 2011

All the guide books and tourist books praise the west coast and Cinque Terre.  It is a very rugged portion of the coast on the Italian Riviera.  It is composed of five villages and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  People have built terraces right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. It's charming because of its beauty and because of its lack of modern day development.  Paths, trains and boats connect the villages and you cannot take a car into them - it's more walking.  When we were there we were sent away from Riomaggiore (the easternmost village) as there was no parking anywhere left near the village.  We drove to Manarola, parked and walked up and down, up and down etc.  the next village was unaccessable due to a landslide.  Breathtaking views.

View in Manorola
(people swimming below and jumping from the rocks)

                                                                   More of Cinque Terre

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The leaning Tower of Pisa was not meant to lean, but it does.(Contractors, construction workers etc.). It stands at 60 metres with 207 columns ranged around eight stories. The construction of Tower of Pisa began in August 1173 and continued for about 200 years (what with breaks and all, oh yeah and wars kept people busy).
 It is constructed of white marble. There is a 297 step spiral staircase inside the tower leading to the top. In the 1920s the foundations of the tower were injected with cement grouting that has stabilized the tower to some extent. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy. 
Other than the tower, didn't see much of Pisa that was impressive, pressed for time, I'd skip it.