Pisa and Lucca

We are trying to fit in a few overnight trips this fall, so we can check a few more places off our to see list before Chad will be gone for a bit.  We took an overnight trip to Pisa to check out the Leaning Tower.  I think this is truly something you have to see in person because it really is amazing and the pictures just don't do it justice!  There is not much to Pisa other than the Tower and the cathedral, but we had a really nice and relaxing time.  We headed out on Saturday morning and it's about a 4 hour drive to Pisa.  We checked into our hotel and headed straight to the Tower and cathedral.  We toured the baptistry which is one of the biggest we have been in and was beautiful and then we toured the cathedral which was also gorgeous!  The cathedral had amazing ceilings and absolutely beautiful details all over the interior.  It was a very unique was one of my favorites so far! 

We headed outside to get a better look at the tower.  It really is hard to describe a building that really does look like it could fall over at any moment and yet they still let people tour inside it, so it must be stable enough.  There were lots of restictions to enter the tower, one of which was that you have to be at least 8 years old and of course our kids are not.  Here are some pictures from our Pisa stop.  As you can see we all had to hold up the Tower!

The next morning as we headed back towards Aviano we made a stop in a town called Lucca.  The town walls are all still intact and you can rent bikes and ride along the ramparts.  We rented one tandem bike for Chad and Austin and one with a seat for me and Maddie.  We made the loop two times (about 5 miles) and then we were ready for some lunch!  We had a great little lunch in the town center and then headed home.  Here are some pictures from our bike ride.