At Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, the crowds provide as much entertainment as the attraction
- The Tuscan town’s main draw is a tourist magnet, albeit for the briefest of stops on any European itinerary
- The ‘Pisa Push’ is a must-do, as unoriginal visitors vye to ‘correct’ what went wonky way back in the 12th century
Tourists don’t spend much time in Pisa. An hour or so is about average; two hours is pushing it. Even the Arno river, which flows swiftly through the Italian city on its way to the Mediterranean, seems disinclined to hang around for long.
Those who stay overnight usually do so because they can’t find accommodation in Florence or Siena. So when I tell the receptionist at a B&B that I’d like to stay for two nights, she looks a little bemused and asks if I mean “for tonight”. I repeat my request so she grabs my passport and starts filling in a guest registration card before I change my mind.
The sturdy 16th century hostelry is tucked away down a quiet side street. On leaving the lobby, guests turn left for the city centre or right for one of the world’s most recognisable tourist attractions. Not many turn left.
Pisa is a handsome Tuscan city of thick-walled Romanesque towers and pointy-spired Gothic buildings, enriched with the soothing symmetry of Renaissance architecture. The thing is, most visitors are interested in only one particular thick-walled Romanesque tower.
