Our Italian adventure started in Pisa today!  We were pretty groggy after our red-eye flight through Munich, so we settled into the Hotel Pisa Tower for a little nap before seeing the sights.  We were pleased to discover that the hotel has a balcony and very comfortable rooms, in addition to the proximity to its namesake tourist site.

The late afternoon was dedicated to exploring the site in question.  After the obligatory adjusting of the tower’s angle, we explored around and up.  The views from the top are striking in all directions, but the leaning feeling one experiences especially on the stairs going up/down is definitely disorienting.

We explored a bit of Pisa on foot, including a trek to the River Arno (fueled by some delicious gelato and sorbet: plum = yum).  We dined al fresco to the lilting melodies of a serenading guitar, delighted by our pasta choices.

We caught the tower complex again on the way home, this time glowing from the light of the setting sun.  Today was a perfect amount of Pisa – we look forward to a good night sleep and continuing our adventure in smaller towns tomorrow.