We took a train from Rome to Florence and then after unpacking jumped onto a local train bound for Pisa. Pisa is an easy hour’s train ride from Florence and a good afternoon trip. I had always thought that the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” was a freestanding tower on its own – imagine my surprise to learn that it is actually part of a complex which includes a baptistery and a church.  It’s known as a “campanile”.

We were amazed by how beautiful this was.  We didn’t go up the tower, just strolled around the complex and the church and admired it all. I had also thought that the whole thing might be crowded and tacky, and while there were certainly a lot of souvenir stands there was also a peace and beauty that might be a side benefit of visiting in winter!