Art is everywhere, everything is art

Great expectations are the best recipe for disappointment. I always knew it refers perfectly not only to relationships,  plans for the future  but also to travels. Millions of times I have been reading blogs & forums claiming how disappointing the pyramids of Giza were, how tacky and  smelly was Venice and how huge failure is this crowded and expensive Florence.  Even if it's all true (at least for some people) I have to admit that this kind of disappointment rarely happens to me. 

Pisa, Tuscany 2014

It is kind of weird, because in the past I have travelled mainly in my imagination, reading books about all those fabulous places I want to see one day. And so I have created in my head visions that hardly ever fit the reality now when I can finally  travel for real. But it's not like the reality is better or worse than my expectations, it's usually just totally different than the creation of my hopes and dreams. 

Only one place have met all the expectations I had - this place is called Campo dei Miracoli and it is located in Pisa, Italy. Actually somehow, someway Pisa in general turned out to be a great place even though nowadays it looks like a poor cousin of splendid Florence. But the history shows that in the past Pisa had both power and money and wanted to prove its greatness. As for me, the best proof of the past well-being of this city are: the Tower, the Baptistery and the Cathedral. All of them big, white and beautiful - and built thanks to the success (and money) achieved in the Crusades. The funds that allowed the construction of Cathedral and Baptistery were stolen from muslim Palermo after the city was conquered by powerful fleet of Pisa.    

At first glance, Campo dei Miracoli looks so stunning it appears to be a great theatrical scenery. The whiteness of the stones used to build those structures is compounded by the Tuscan sun and looks just awesome, surrounded by the spacious green lawns. As far as I noticed it's not allowed to sit on the grass but I recall not many people seemed to care about it. Of course I never break the rules (:P)  so I was sitting in a café, right next to the Campo drinking cappuccino and actually breaking the unwritten Italian law (I was drinking this cappuccino after midday… I know it's just a pure madness!) 

The Leaning Tower, Pisa Tuscany 2014.
Behind the Cathedral under renovation - yep, that's my luck 

Pisa, Campo dei Miracoli, 2014

I saw leaning towers in other places (The Towers of Bologna, Campanillo of San Martino church in Burano, the tower of Santo Stefano church in Venice), but the one in Pisa impressed me the most. I think that the white marble makes this wow effect and makes you wanna sit and watch. And this is what I was doing. For an hour. Or maybe two.   

So, I was sitting there, enjoying my coffee and croissant, admiring the artistry and watching hundreds of tourists from all over the world that were trying to take a breathtaking photo of the Leaning Tower. It looked kind of funny.  And I was having a great time.

Outside the Campo Pisa is more quiet and less crowded. One-day tourist don't have tome to discover it. Luckily I had the time and thanks to this leisurely stroll I have found out why I love Italy so much. I love this country becuase it can amaze me both with momunents such as well-known Leaning Tower as well as with a lovely mosaic of Mary and Baby Jesus, hidden somewhere in a dark passage. Oh, and when shopping in Pisa H&M store don't be surprise when you see, just next to the cashiers, an old fresco depicting Mary and Jesus. Just like that. In a cloth shop. Because in Italy I have always been able to find art in placed I less exoect it. And so I will be back - soon. 

Arno river in Pisa, Tuscany 2014

Pisa, Tuscany 2014

A cloth shop in Pisa, Tuscany
Source: http://i60.tinypic.com/2zdrtrt.jpg

P.S. this is my first post written in English and I hope those who asked for it enjoyed it :D Since English is not my mother-tongue I ask for indulgence when it comes to mistakes and misunderstandings.