43 40.6 N 10 16.3 E

Marina di Pisa 7th July

Yet again we had no wind so it was a motoring passage all the way to Pisa with very little traffic and a rather murky morning - the island of Gorgona the furthest north of the Tuscan archipelago National Park revealing itself after a couple of hours. We arrived at the marina around 1400 and were soon tied up to the very high and sturdy concrete pontoons. A bit of a problem for us as we couldn't use the passarelle so had to get the boat in really close to the jetty to enable us to get n and off. We are sandwiched between two large power boats and are rather dwarfed by these but very secure.

The marina is new and has good facilities and friendly helpful staff. The town is now a holiday destination for mainly Italian tourists and abounds with bars cafes restaurants and small shops. However when it was developed originally it was one of the most important holiday spas in Italy and during the early 20th century many grand homes and churches were built which can still be seen today. 

On Wednesday we took the local bus to Pisa - it was incredibly hot but worth the effort as the main buildings in the Piazza del Duomo were stunning. The exterior carving and marble decoration on the Baptistry, Cathedral and Tower were amazing and all were made during the 13-15th centuries such craftsmanship! The city was heaving with tourists and it was really hot so Rob and I only did the main attractions and we didn't opt to climb the 297 steps to the top of the tower. We left our friends Gerry and Bert to explore further and returned to the boat by late lunch time. We shall no doubt visit again when the weather is cooler in the autumn.

B and G left us on the 10th of July - the night before they departed we enjoyed a delicious meal in a restaurant they found almost next to the supermarket - wonderful food and service in a friendly small eatery; we shall be returning there for sure when other visitors arrive.