|
Campo dei Miracoli
Tuesday May 3, 2005
|
The Camposanto, The Cemetery
|
Detail Over Camposanto Entry
| |
The Camposanto
lies at the northern edge of the Campo dei Miracoli. It is a walled cemetery, which many claim is the most beautiful cemetery in the world. It is said to have been built around a shipload of sacred soil from Golgotha, brought back to Pisa from the Crusades by the archbishop in the 12th century. The building itself dates from a century later. It is a huge Gothic cloister. Most of the tombs are under the arcades, although a few are on the central lawn. The walls were once covered in frescoes, but incendiary bombs dropped by Allied aircraft during WWII set the roof on fire and covered them in molten lead, all but destroying them.
|
Entry to Campo dei Miracoli
In this case, it is the exit. We've seen the beautiful buildings here, and it's time to move on.
Here's a link to
more pictures. The text is in Italian, but the collection includes some interior shots that
illustrate some more of the beauty built into these edifices.
A Parting Shot at the Main Attraction
The apse of the duomo stands beside the famous Leaning Tower.
The Arno River in Pisa
This river is more famous during its passage through Firenze (Florence), several kilometers upstream to the east. Although it's not on the direct path back to Livorno and our ship, the Rotterdam, we think the side trip to Florence will be worth while to check out some pictures Gertrude Meyer took on a previous trip there.
Click any image above to go to the next page, or use the navigation buttons below.
|
