Pisa

The last stop on our Italian holiday was Pisa, just a one-hour train ride west from Florence.  The kids and I played a lot of "I Spy" on the train ride.

We were advised that there wasn't much to do in Pisa so we planned to stay less than 24 hrs.  However, I was actually pleasantly surprised and found Pisa to be a charming, little town.  Like Florence, Pisa straddles the River Aron, and is lined with colorfully painted buildings.  Palazzo della Corovano was particularly charming as was the pedestrian shopping area housed under an arched walkway. There is a large university in Pisa and it seemed that almost every building was associated in some way.

But who are we kidding - we were really just there to see the leaning tower and take few photos.  And that we did.

J & I being uber (strong) tourists:

The funniest quote of the week came during our last gelato stop.  K finished quickly and started running around in the nearby square at which point C said, "K, stop chasing the pigeons or they're going to  poop in my gelato".

We spent the night in a nearby hotel, Hotel Bonnano.  The hotel had a 4-star rating so I was expecting a luxurious treat for our last night in Italy.  However, if it wasn't for the impressive breakfast buffet the next morning I would be hard pressed to give it two-stars.  The room itself was super tiny with hardly any space to move around.  K had to sleep in a crib and the double-bed that J and I slept on had the hardest, most uncomfortable mattress I ever recall sleeping on.  I was definitely looking forward to getting back home and crawling into my own bed.

Overall a nice vacation and introduction to Italy.  Venice wins for the charm, Florence for the food (and the leather products which seems a good enough reason for a return trip).  Rome is definitely next on the Italy list as well as exploring some of the southern coastal areas.  The kids were good travelers and gelato bribery helped keep tantrums to a minimum.  Traveling through cities though is never that relaxing so I'm looking forward to a change of pace for our next trip.