Day 4. Pisa’s hidden gems

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Europe, Italy, Pisa 2020

Our final day in Pisa and an opportunity to explore some of the city’s less well known sights.  Our first stop of the day was the University of Pisa Botanical Gardens (Orto botanico di Pisa) nestled on the street behind its more famous neighbour, the Leaning Tower.  Admission to the gardens and botanical museum is €4 and we were pleased to discover that it had recently re-opened its doors to visitors.

Entrance to the University of Pisa Botanical Gardens
Entrance to the University of Pisa Botanical Gardens

The university gardens were originally built on the banks of the River Arno but were relocated to their present position in 1591.  They are noted for being the first botanical gardens in Europe and were the inspiration of the physicist and botanist Luca Ghini.  The gardens gradually extended to their current size of three hectares and are home to plants from all over the world so we were eager to explore.  The sunshine from the previous days had vanished but although overcast it was still lovely and warm.

Pisa Botanical Gardens
The main avenue through the gardens

The gardens were originally established with the construction of a medicinal herb garden where plants with healing properties were grown, catalogued and exhibited according to their identity.  The garden now includes 140 species of medicinal plants from all corners of the world.

Water lilies in the Pisa Botanical Gardens
Water lilies in bloom

It was very peaceful strolling through the gardens inhaling the fragrant scent of azaleas, admiring ponds filled with flowering water lilies and many other aquatic plants, mostly extinct in nature.

Bamboo in the Pisa Botanical Gardens
Bamboo groves in the botanical gardens

We continued along a path into the arboretum where we found ancient trees including a rare Chinese ginkgo planted at the end of the 18th century and a camphor dating from 1872.  Alongside these rare varieties, we wandered through groves of bamboo reminding us of lovely holidays spend in south east Asia.

Greenhouse, Pisa Botanical Garden
Inside one of the large greenhouses

There are several of the earliest iron framed greenhouses built in Italy containing succulents and tropical plants all clearly labelled but my absolute favourite was the greenhouse containing the Victoria Amazonica which is the largest of the family of water lilies with leaves of up to 3m (10ft) that float on the water’s surface.  These were not flowering but reminded us of our visit to the wonderful Uppsala Botanical Garden two years earlier where we were fortunate to view them in bloom.

Water Lilies in the Pisa University Botanical Gardens
Victoria Amazonica waterlilies

To round off our visit we enjoyed a self guided tour of The Botanical Museum, housed in the Scuole Botanica.  The museum retains its original exterior appearance and contains a library, a gallery of specimens and a collection of ancient microscopes used for studying and preserving seeds.  It was also interesting to view a glass cabinet containing birds nests which had been found in the garden and catalogued alongside drawings, portraits of botanists and other artwork.

Pisa University Botanical Museum
The Botanical Museum

My verdict, a delightful small garden to visit and an oasis of calm after viewing the famous Leaning Tower just around the corner.  The garden’s website suggested booking a timed slot in advance but we took a chance and managed to get in straightaway on a Monday morning in August.

Portraits, Pisa University Botanical Museum
Portraits of botanists in the Botanical Museum

Whilst walking back along the Lungarno Gambacorti (riverside embankment) we stumbled upon the beautiful small church of Santa Maria della Spina.  This tiny Gothic church was originally built as a simple place of worship for seamen who would go there to pray for a safe return.  In the 14th century the church was enlarged and came to house a valuable relic from the Holy Land.  The relic was supposedly a thorn ‘Spina’ from Christ’s crown and this is how the church took its name.

Church of Santa Maria della Spina, Pisa
The Church of Santa Maria della Spina, Pisa

The enlarged church needed to reflect the value of its relics so the best Italian artists of the time were invited to work on its sumptuous decorations.  By contrast the interior is exceedingly plain but as the church doors were firmly locked we were unable to peep inside to see for ourselves.

Tuttomondo by Keith Haring Pisa
Tuttomondo by Keith Haring, Pisa

Returning to the hotel to collect our luggage, we stopped briefly to view a mural on the wall of the church of St. Anthony between the railway station and Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.  This striking piece of art was painted by the young American artist Keith Haring in 1989 just months before his death from AIDS.  The artwork is entitled Tuttomondo with its theme of peace and harmony reflected through the links of 30 figures, each representing a different aspect of peace in the world.  Facing the artwork is the Keith Art Shop Cafe where you can sip a coffee whilst admiring the installation.

Pisa Airport
Pisa Airport

Our weekend hotel reservation included a late check out of 2.00 p.m. so we gathered our belongings before checking out and walking along to the airport, taking less than 20 minutes.

Crowded terminal, Pisa Airport
The crowded departure terminal

On entering the departure terminal, it was necessary to pass through a disinfectant spraying arch before making our way through to security and into the airside lounge, which was crowded as several flights were due to depart around the same time.  We eventually found somewhere to sit until it was time to board our own flight back to Leeds-Bradford.  This departed on time and appeared almost full and luck was on my side once again as I had been allocated a window seat in an emergency exit row, providing me with a little extra leg room.

Floating in the air
Enjoying floating over the clouds

The flight was smooth and I enjoyed gazing out of the window at the cotton wool like clouds on our way back to northern England, where we landed slightly ahead of schedule.  After disembarking the aircraft in the usual way, I was rather surprised that in these days of social distancing we were then packed liked sardines onto shuttle buses when the terminal building was literally steps away!

Pisa by the River Arno
River Arno, Pisa

That aside, it had been a lovely weekend break in Tuscany and being our first overseas trip since lockdown, one I’ll remember always!  There’s definitely more to Pisa than just its iconic Leaning Tower and it made an excellent base for visiting both Florence and Livorno.  I do hope I might have inspired some of you to take the plunge and start travelling once again as if you’re like me, I’m certain you’ll feel much better for it!

Until next time …….

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54 thoughts on “Day 4. Pisa’s hidden gems”

  1. Great post. We were so lucky to be able to visit Pisa in September 2019. Loved the botanical gardens and that tiny church, but just loved the city, the food and the people. It was our first time back in Italy since 1984 and we were pleasantly surprised how delightful it was. Stay well Marion. Allan

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  3. jasonlikestotravel

    I’m glad you had a lovely first weekend away, hopefully Gibraltar will be equally enjoyable 🙂

    On a seperate note I have almost no recollection of Pisa’s airport. I certainly don’t recall the exterior of it looking so green!

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    1. Thanks as ever for your welcome thoughts Jason. In Gibraltar now, arrived yesterday morning in a 40;mph gale with the pilot warning that we might have to divert to Malaga! Thankfully that didn’t happen and we landed on time. Don’t think I’ll ever want to leave though as it’s nice and warm and altogether lovely. Marion

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      1. jasonlikestotravel

        Funnily enough that had me panicking after I’d booked my trip. I purposely picked Gibraltar as I wouldn’t have to quarantine on my return and then I started reading the odd thing online about flights sometimes being diverted to Spain.

        Glad you didn’t have to go to Malaga and that you’re enjoying Gibraltar so far. I found it really difficult leaving! Off to London myself tonight so looking forward to a couple of days in the capital 🙂

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        1. Brilliant! Whereabouts are you staying? We’re having two nights early next week in London before returning home staying at the Ibis Styles Kensington. Pity it’s not the same time as we could have met up although you’d probably feel as if you were with your Mum with me but Simon is only a little bit younger than you! Have a great time.

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          1. jasonlikestotravel

            Sorry, think I was on the train down when I read this. Oddly enough I was staying in Kensington too, not an area of London I stay in but I was keen to visit the museums to it was a good location haha.
            Shame it didn’t work out at the same time, would have been good to meet up. Maybe there’ll be an opportunity in 2021! 🙂

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            1. I’m sure there will be other opportunities for us to say hello Jason. Tuesday in London was lovely but the next day not quite the same with the rain and bars and cafes closed. Wasn’t expecting to be walking down Putney High Street eating McDonalds in the rain!! Feel so sorry for you in Tier 4, how could that even happen when it was only Tier 2 the other day. Want to go back on the next flight to Gibraltar and never return!!

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              1. jasonlikestotravel

                Yeah, I’m sure there will be. I’m glad your Tuesday was lovely at least.

                It’s absurd. I thought there might be more restrictions after Christmas but didn’t expect such a late change to this week. Barely even got 24 hours in tier 3 haha.
                I’d definitely happily return to Gibraltar. I know they’ve got restrictions there too but felt a lot better in general.

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  7. Very interesting post and great pictures. We had a one day visit to Pisa on our last visit to Florence in 2019. Needless to say, we didn’t have time to uncover your hidden gems! We have totally written off 2020 as far as travel is concerned. Have numerous trips planned for 2021, but who knows if they will be possible?

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  8. Wonderful to read and see that Pisa isn’t just about the leaning tower and that every photo isn’t a tourist pretending to hold it up! Looks very quaint and typically Italian and well worth a trip. Not sure about the busy airport and shuttle bus though. You would think they’d get that sorted at the moment wouldn’t you? Not really acceptable.

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    1. Yes, there’s lots more to Pisa than its famous tower and we had a lively weekend there. Pisa airport is very small and with some seats blocked off it seemed to accentuate the problem. The shuttle bus at Leeds Bradford was just ridiculous as it would have taken about two minutes to walk to the terminal without issue but we were all right so that’s the main thing!

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    1. Thanks for your ever welcome thoughts Sue. It was a great little trip and we felt just as safe as if we’d stayed at home. I’m certain you’ll find some lovely places to visit in Australia when you can start travelling interstate once again. In the meantime enjoy your lovely dogs and the surrounding countryside and keep smiling as the time will come for globetrotting once again. Marion

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  14. Helleren Gregory

    Glad to see you’re able to travel again. Wow on the crowded airport!! My first flight is Thursday from El Paso back to San Francisco and I have to say I’m a little nervous about it. Like the first flight after 9/11. Stay well!

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  18. No international travel for we Australians unless we negotiate a special exemption and are prepared to quarantine in a Sydney hotel (in my case) at our own expense for 14 days on return. So, please – keep the vicarious travels coming. When I lived in Florence I day-tripped to Pisa, but really, it was just out to the tower and back. I’ve enjoyed your closer insight.

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    1. Thanks Gwen for taking an interest in my weekend break in Pisa. We enjoyed it very much and it was just what we needed. I do feel sorry for you all in Australia, being unable to travel overseas but I hope you are managing some nice road trips now and again. Marion

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  19. The church of Santa Maria della Spina looks striking! Compared with the warm, colorful hues of the rest of the city, its pure-white exterior really stands out, and I can imagine it must be just as mesmerizing inside. I also remember being inside the Pisa airport; it was TINY! Thanks for sharing your adventures of Pisa– can’t wait to see where else you go!

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  21. So delightful to see you here again. Hopefully, the rumoured second lockdown in Britain won’t be long in duration, if indeed it does happen. Pisa would be an excellent springboard for tooling about Tuscany, which is part of what I still hope to do, in either late summer or autumn of 2021.

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