Travelling in Pisa and Seeing the Pisa Antique Shops

And so yes I am taking my annual leave to travel to Pisa, Italy. It was on early June 2016 and I stayed in Pisa for only two nights. The weather was so not Italian summer apparently. It was raining and grey. But I am still excited to see Tuscany for the first time. Italy has always been the first choice for panoramic holiday. As with other Italian cities, Pisa has its classical looks on buildings and streets. So Italian and so I like.

I arrive in Pisa using Ryanair from London Stansted. If you are based in Europe, it is easy to get around using budget airline. Ryanair is good as it flies three times a day from London to Pisa. And the price, of course everyone agrees on its competitiveness.

So here I am on the first night staying at Hotel La Pace near Pisa Centrale train station. The room is clean and tidy and the breakfast is superb. I would say the hotel has got a character and so it has a classic decoration.

When I am about to explore the city, I have found this beautiful church of Santa Maria della Spina near the Arno river. It has an amazing gothic look and to see this church stands beside the river is just magical.

And so I get into the historic part of Pisa: the most famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Duomo di Pisa. My husband told me that the Leaning Tower is basically the bell tower for the Duomo. I think it is a fantastic story that the bell tower is (apparently) more famous than its church.

And so the Squares of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli) is not complete without the St John Baptistery. Did Galileo Galilei use this Duomo complex as his regular-visit stroll? I can imagine Galileo was walking around the complex and attending a mass at the Cathedral. What a fantastic feeling to think that we can do what Galileo’s do four-hundred years ago.

Just across the Leaning Tower, I can see a very Tuscan panoramic view. Ignore the grey clouds and scaffolding :).

And because my main reason for this trip is antiquing, the travel to Pisa is not complete without visiting the antique shops in Pisa. I must admit that I am a little bit disappointed of the number of antique shops in Pisa. There are very few! I see only three shops exist while other antique shops are closed or out of business already. For a big historic city like Pisa, it should have more antique shops to showcase its history to the world!

Oh well, these are the three antique shops that I visited.

1.Antichita Burgalassi – via San Francesco 111, Pisa

This is a serious antique shop with a very friendly owner. The owner itself allows me to take photos of his collection. Amazing!

The owner even gives me his business card :p

He told me the two of most interesting and unusual antiques on his collection. First is the pair of Venetian blackamoor for which I think they are candle holders. And second is the Madonna (Maria) figure in a golden stake (?) for which I may think it is used in the Church or for a Novena procession.

2. Antiques di Leporatti Alessandro – via San Francesco 64, Pisa

Still in the same street, there is another antique shop, but I do not take photos inside the shop (sorry..). This shop has a few collection of Italian antique silver, but the price is way out of my budget :).

3. Antiquariato Trouvè di Lorelay Trouvè – Via San Francesco 14, Pisa

Well this is once again in the same street, however I did not get inside the shop as it was siesta time.

I then continue the journey from Pisa to Arezzo to see the main attraction: Arezzo Antiques Fair.

It is very easy to travel from Pisa to Arezzo. Just go to Pisa Centrale train station and buy the ticket on the spot. That’s it. It takes approximately two hours and I have to change the train in Florence.

While waiting in Florence, I’d decided to have a lunch-break of bruschetta near Firenze Santa Maria Novella station.

I will be posting my journey in Arezzo too.. So watch out this space 🙂

My last night in Pisa was spent at the Hotel Terminus Plaza. The hotel is located very convenient to the Pisa Centrale train station. It is tidy, clean and modern. The only minus is that two of the receptionists were a bit grumpy..

Luckily it was a sunny Sunday, so I went to explore the city again. If you are tired of walking, there is a local bus that takes you from Pisa Centrale stazione to Piazza dei Miracoli.

And as it was quite warm, it is time for gelati at the Salza.

I was flying back to London Stansted at the next early morning. Arrivederci Pisa and I can’t wait to get back to Italy!