And a trip to Pisa well worth the taking! Returning from Pisa via Italiarail allowed us to take the 5:00 PM which arrived at Santa Maria Novella at 5:51. Though the afternoon light was excellent for photographing the entire complex, visiting it at that time would have tested your patience at waiting in lines. Long lines had now formed at the Baptistery as well as the Tower, and there was even a line to see the Cathedral. And that is when we discovered that visiting in the morning was better than the afternoon. After our visit we enjoyed lunch in Pisa, but decided to revisit the complex one more time before leaving. Because the Cathedral is free, we then visited it after the tower. The ascent has approximately 296 steps and we did not find it daunting at all (and we're over 70!). Prior to your ascent a guide provides you with a short history of the tower in addition to rules and regulations. Each visitation is time sensitive in addition to a fixed quota.

From the Baptistery we then walked a short distance to the TOWER, allowing enough time to line-up before our designated time slot.

Depending on the time of year you visit (we visited in September) we were able to enjoy the Baptistery as early as 9:00 AM.

We planned it so we'd see the Baptistery FIRST (allow 30 minutes just so you can hear one of the ticket takers at the door illustrate the amazing acoustics). A ticket to the tower allows you free admission to the Cathedral however, you do need a separate ticket for the Baptistery. It's best to purchase your tickets to the Tower before hand by visiting their website which allows you to choose a day and a time for your visit. A direct walk from the station to the Tower took less than 30 minutes. Maria Novella which arrived at Pisa Centrale shortly after 8:30. We took an early train, 7:28 from Piazza S. In my opinion, it's better to view the complex in the morning, preferably before the tour buses unpack hordes of tourists. IF you are coming from Florence, you can purchase train tickets through Italiarail web site. Rather than informing you on any historical points to The Leaning Tower of Pisa, as this information can be gathered through any good guidebook, I'll provide you with a few tips on how and when to visit this amazing complex of buildings.

Lady in leaning tower of pizza