Pisa – the Wheeler’s Dream!
Dear friends, I’d like to share my experience of visiting Pisa:
the church of Santa Maria della Spina,
the Leaning Tower of Pisa,
the Pisa Cathedral,
the Pisa Baptistery of St. John.
Everybody goes to Pisa to rush to its famous Leaning Tower, Pisa Cathedral, and Pisa Baptistery of St. John, take a couple of funny photos and go back to the train station to catch their train to Florence, Rome or some other city.
However, it is such a small and homely town that I decided to enjoy its atmosphere and beauty just rolling along its streets on my mobility scooter with my daughter on my knees. So much fun, no rush!
On the way from the Central Railway Station to the Leaning Tower, Cathedral and Baptistery, I chose this route to see THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLA SPINA.
Santa Maria della Spina is a small church in Pisa constructed in the Pisan Gothic style. Its name “della Spina”, translated as “the thorn”, derives from the thorn which is said to be a part of the crown of thorns put on Christ during his Crucifixion. This relic was brought to the church in 1333. Whilst this thorn is no longer there, Santa Maria della Spina is still worth seeing. I found its facade to resemble the Milan Cathedral in miniature))).
The town is even, with ramps nearly everywhere. So, it was a pleasure to drive my mobility scooter, especially along the river bank.
When I got to THE LEANING TOWER, my mouth “fell open”, especially when looked at this amazing construction from a distance.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral, known for its tilt caused by a ground being too soft on one side of its foundation. The tower has nearly 300 steps with no lift. So, it is inaccessible for wheelchair users. But the view from the outside is still impressive though. And I managed to take a funny photo)))).
THE PISA BAPTISTERY OF ST. JOHN (Battistero di San Giovanni) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building constructed near the PISA CATHEDRAL (Duomo di Pisa; Cattedrale Metropolitana Primaziale di Santa Maria Assunta) – a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the seat of the Archbishop of Pisa.
Both the Pisa Cathedral and the ground floor of the Baptistery are wheelchair accessible thanks to ramps. The upper floor of the Baptistery has many stairs with no lift. So, it is not wheelchair accessible.
Having enjoyed the views, I went out of the Pisa Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), crossed the street and took an accessible bus to the Central Railway station to continue our journey.
Hope, you’ll enjoy this charming town too!
Yours,
Maryna Shevchenko