As you may or may not know already, I am doing a summer abroad program in Italy at the University of Siena. I'm taking an ethnic politics course where we study the different ways that ethnicity influences nation-building, and how a unified Italy came about from ethnic solidarity. So far, the trip has been amazing. Yesterday we went on our first class field trip to Pisa and Lucca. In the photograph below, you can see the Leaning Tower of Pisa (of course) and the Pisa cathedral (which actually leans a bit as well). Pisa used to be a marshy area, which is obviously not a good foundation for these gigantic structures. You could not climb the tower throughout the 1990s because the tower was leaning too much, but they fixed it by putting lead blocks on the non-leaning side in order to stabilize the structure. Walking up the tower is a dizzying experience, as you can really feel the lean! Also, the steps are made of marble and can be slippery. The view from the top, however, is surreal.
The top of the tower overlooks Pisa and the "Piazza del Miracoli" (Square of Miracles). If you're scared of heights, this is not the place for you. The path that goes around the tower is claustrophobic, and you're guarded only by a metal net.
On the side of the cathedral, there is a "scratch" in the wall. The legend is that the scratch was caused by Lucifer's fingernails as he was trying to claw his way into the church, without success. Superstition says that if a student counts the number of holes left by "the claw marks" twice and gets the same number twice, the student will graduate with good grades.
Our next stop was Lucca (which is both a city and a province). The tour guide told us that there are over 150 churches inside Lucca's walls. This is one of them: San Martino cathedral, built in the 11th century. The angel at the top of the church is said to guard the city, and it stomps out the devil with its foot.
Lastly, we went to Basilica di San Frediano, where we saw an eerie open grave with Saint Zita, who lived in the early 13th century. She was a very renowned saint, and is associated with flowers because of one of her famous miracles. When she was taking bread to the poor, someone stopped her and asked to see what was in her bag. When she opened it, all that came out were flowers. She was such a popular saint that writers began referring to Lucca as "Saint Zita's birthplace." Her final miracle is her preservation. When she was dug up some hundreds of years after death, she was apparently not decomposed at all, which was a sign that she is a true saint. Today, you can see her wearing a floral veil, not looking a day over 803 years old! Sweet dreams.
On the side of the cathedral, there is a "scratch" in the wall. The legend is that the scratch was caused by Lucifer's fingernails as he was trying to claw his way into the church, without success. Superstition says that if a student counts the number of holes left by "the claw marks" twice and gets the same number twice, the student will graduate with good grades.
The photo next to the claw marks features the ceiling of the cathedral. Most ceilings built back in the day (construction began 1064) had simple wooden ceilings. This real gold plated ceiling was put into place later on, and it has the Medici coat of arms (the family was very wealthy and politically powerful, contributing a lot of architecture and wealth to Pisa).
Above is the ceiling inside the church.
Beside the church is a baptistry. The main purpose of this building is for baptisms, which took place in the pool in the middle of the room. There are three steps leading to the pool symbolizing the Holy Trinity. The baptistry is separate from the church because people who were not baptized were not allowed to enter the church.
Our next stop was Lucca (which is both a city and a province). The tour guide told us that there are over 150 churches inside Lucca's walls. This is one of them: San Martino cathedral, built in the 11th century. The angel at the top of the church is said to guard the city, and it stomps out the devil with its foot.
Lastly, we went to Basilica di San Frediano, where we saw an eerie open grave with Saint Zita, who lived in the early 13th century. She was a very renowned saint, and is associated with flowers because of one of her famous miracles. When she was taking bread to the poor, someone stopped her and asked to see what was in her bag. When she opened it, all that came out were flowers. She was such a popular saint that writers began referring to Lucca as "Saint Zita's birthplace." Her final miracle is her preservation. When she was dug up some hundreds of years after death, she was apparently not decomposed at all, which was a sign that she is a true saint. Today, you can see her wearing a floral veil, not looking a day over 803 years old! Sweet dreams.
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