Why should I go? Easy Pisa is not some mad-dash circuit of sights to
tick off. It’s a compact stage set you absorb while you wander, waylaid by
cloistered churches and courtyards of blood-red geraniums. The Tuscan town
exudes hardy appeal more than swooning beauty, and beyond the main
attractions, weekends can seem about as hurried as the paint peeling off the
facades. But that’s the pleasure of the place, so clink the chiantis – your
lazy getaway starts here.
What do I do? Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles; 00 39-050 387
2210, www.opapisa.it) is Pisa’s
centrepiece, testament to its medieval power.
The baptistry (£3.50) is splendid, so cartoon-plump, it might have been tipped
out of a baking tin like some great gothic panettone. The cathedral (£1.40)
comes with wild marble banding and a ceiling, borne on marching corinthian
columns, that looks like a job lot of gilt Versace ashtrays. But the Leaning
Tower (£10) steals the show, muscling in as if asked to lean right a bit for
a group snap.
If it’s sunny, thread your way among Pisa’s principal churches: a stroll as
easy as string to follow. Start at Santa Caterina – maybe smelling of lilies
after a wedding, the pews tied with bows. Streets away, the daisy-dusted
cloister of San Francesco twitters with birdsong, and a cafe invites you to
linger. The most dramatic are Santa Cecilia, embedded with dizzily patterned
Islamic and Pisan majolica; and Santa Maria della Spina (€1.50),a
humbug-striped marble beauty by the river, named after the thorn it once
housed, from Christ’s crown.
Back in Pisa, warm evenings mean martini rosso, as crowds fill Piazza
Garibaldi. With drinkers swigging along the river walls, you scent the
pleasure of the impending Saturday night, which should have you weaving down
Borgo Stretto, between cafes and prancing arches. Later, wind up at Op Art
(Via San Francesco 90; www.opartcafe.it)
– great cuba libres.
Where do I stay? The Hotel Relais dell’Orologio (050 830361, www.hotelrelaisorologio.com;
doubles from £174, B&B) is smart-chintzy, with breakfast served in
a fragrant yard. The Royal Hotel Victoria (050 940111, www.royalvictoria.it;
doubles from £95, B&B) sprouts potted ferns and chandeliers: half A
Room with a View, half FawltyTowers. The Novecento (050 500323, www.hotelnovecento.pisa.it;
doubles from £97, room-only) has 13 urban-designer rooms, three of them set
attractively in the garden.
Where do I eat? Osteria La Grotta (Via San Francesco 103; 050 578105;
mains from £10) oozes mood, as diners savour gnocchetti al salmone beneath
faux-stalactite ceilings. At Antica Trattoria da Bruno (Via Luigi Bianchi;
050 560818; mains from £10), nicotine-coloured press clippings denote an
institution. Wagon wheels dangle, art is tacky, but the pennete agli scampi
e asparagi is delicious.
How do I get there? Fly there with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com),
EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) or Ryanair
(0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com)
Nick Redman was a guest of British Airways, Hotel Relais dell’Orologio and
Royal Hotel Victoria
