Maremma, my home

Five years ago, I would have told you to run from the Maremma as fast as you possibly could lest you get sucked into the monotony of country life.

In my defence, I was young, reasonably foolish and utterly spoilt. To think that I could have looked at this magnificent corner of Southern Tuscany and moaned about the lack of after-dinner entertainment! Not my finest moment, for sure. But I had come to the Maremma to teach English and take a year off before starting university. I never expected to find my home.

It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, home always begins with a sense of belonging. For me, feeling like an outsider in a small Italian town called Manciano was enough to consider abandoning my post and returning to my family in Australia.

(Manciano)

And then I met a boy. There’s always a boy isn’t there? Sure he was cute, but more importantly, he showed me just how amazing, unforgettable and enchanting the Maremma could be.

If you’ve never heard of my home then you’re missing out. In my mind, the Maremma is small, picturesque and cosy. In reality, it actually makes up a quarter of Tuscany. But it does have a small town atmosphere, a sense that everyone knows your name (and your business) and an infectiously warm welcome, gratuitously extended to anyone who visits.

Its landscape is a mixture of pure natural beauty and a historical legacy that begins with the Etruscans and embraces Romans warriors, Medieval masters and Renaissance kings. From one end to the other, the countryside looks like its from the pages of a picture book and there are few other places in the world where you can go from paradisical beach to snow-flecked mountain top in a matter of hours.

In the midst of it all, the Maremmani maintain the very best of their agrarian roots, an unconscious respect for the environment and an appreciation of simple homecooked meals, where seasonality is king and everything is better with a good glass of local wine and a noisy dose of family.

I admit, I’ve become eccentrically besotted with the Tuscan Maremma. But it didn’t happen immediately. Instead, my adopted home snuck up on me. Surprised me completely. Beat some sense into my bratty brain and left me with an unexplainable, but unbreakable, affection for a landscape I stumbled upon completely by accident.

(Saturnia Hot Springs)

I’m now married to that cute Tuscan boy, who is really a born, bred and slightly over-patriotic Maremmano with a secret love of Thai cooking. He’d never admit it, but I think he’d swap a bowl of tortelli maremmani for a pad thai any day.

And me? There are days when I crave the Australian summer sun and Christmas at the beach, but I couldn’t possibly imagine myself living anywhere else. When it all boils down, home is so much more than where your heart is, where you hang your hat, or where all your stuff is, it’s also where you see yourself whenever you close your eyes.

I close my eyes and I see the countryside that’s immediately outside my bedroom window. Oak-covered plains the colour of acid, clusters of hills masquerading as mountains and the indeterminable Argentario Sea, which everyone insists they can see clearly, but which I am yet to get a glimpse of.

(The view from Elisa’s window)

And with this sight, comes a million mixed emotions. Affection for the locals of my small Italian town who call themselves Mancianese first, Maremmani second and Tuscans last, and only if they’re forced. Astonishment that I didn’t appreciate the small pleasures of a quiet day spent enjoying country life sooner. Amazement at just how much the Maremma has to offer its visitors. And pride for the effort made to preserve local tradition and the cultura contadini (farming culture) no matter what.

(Pitigliano)

The Maremma is without a doubt my home now and while it isn’t always la dolce vita, it’s pretty darn spectacular. Especially since I’ve finally accepted that I will always be asked whether I eat kangaroo, have ever seen a crocodile or watched ‘Le Sorelle McLeod‘ (‘McLeod’s Daughters’) when it was on television. I’m no longer an outsider, but curiosity gets the best of everyone!

You can read it here: Tuscany beyond the major cities. I chose to focus on abbeys and churches that are well worth a visit and which are located in the countryside.

The other guest posts included in the FlipKey Italy Week up to now are:

• The Valnerina: the hidden gem of Umbria by Rebecca owner of Brigolante Guest Apartments
• Pici all’aglione and Valdorcia by the amazingly talented food blogger Giulia of Jul’s Kitchen
• Uncovering Umbria by Letizia owner of the holiday farm La Madonna del Piatto

More to come in the next couple of days… but I have to say that Tuscany and Umbria rock as usual! LOL

When I walk home from work in Pisa, I often make a point to walk by the beautiful mural by Keith Haring, Tuttomondo. It was the artist’s last public work of art, painted in 1989 before his premature death. Not many people know about this large mural, but my fascination with this interesting wall-painting dates back to my first years in Pisa as a student. I love the colours, the richness of the composition, and I always notice some new characters that I hadn’t noticed before.

(Photo by juanita.laguna)

Other than these few observations, don’t expect “an educated comment” here: I am in no way qualified for that and I get quite bored with the average art expert’s blabbering. In my ignorance of the matter, I simply like works of art which have something to say to me… and, to me, Tuttomondo has always been the symbol of a welcoming and lively city where I have spent the last 17 years and which has always struck me as being so very different from the only other “art mecca” I was familiar with for having grown up in the area: Siena.

There are three main reasons why I love Tuttomondo.

First of all, I have always thought that Keith Haring’s work was perfectly in line with the cultural atmosphere of the city, which has always been very “popular” in a way. Street art in Pisa is a blessing and a curse. Being a university city with over 30,000 students and a very lively cultural life, there is a vast population of street artists. Some of them are more harmful than artistic, others though, paint beautiful things. The city has always tried to encourage the “controlled” expression of street art by providing authorized spaces for graffiti and murals. Recently, during the renovations of the Logge de’ Banchi in Corso Italia, the City enclosed the building with white boards and asked street artists and students to decorate them. For a couple of years, the area was an open street art gallery, which received mixed comments. Folk art is like that… you either love it or hate it. And recently, street artists have been ask to decorate the new “Casa Sperimentale”, a brand new student residency built in line with the most recent proposals of eco-compatible and bio-compatible architecture.

Secondly, I like the fact that the inspiration for the mural came from a fortuitous meeting between Keith Haring and a student of the Univeristy of Pisa. The University is the real moving force of the city. For someone like me who has spent the last 10 years trying to “form the young minds” at this university, it is amazing to see that some of the work we do here can bring such great gifts to the city.

(Photo by buxx)

Last but not least, I love the message. Tuttomondo was painted in a week without preparatory sketches to represent the good and bad of human coexistence.  The main theme is harmony and peace in the world, but next to the positive figures such as a mother with a baby, two men supporting a dolphin and dancing figures symbolizing the vitality of humanity, there are some more “troubled” figures, such as a scissor man cutting a snake that has already eaten a man’s head or a man wolf with a knife, to symbolize the fact that mankind can be dark and dangerous, but we can fight the evil that is in society to reach harmony, the same harmony that strikes me when I look at the way all the figures fit into place on the wall.

Tuttomondo is only few steps away from the central train station, in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, on the side of the old convent of St. Antonio.

(Photo by MagnusW)

If you want to take some time to admire it and see if you can figure out the meaning of all the characters, you can sit at one of the tables of the Keith Café, opposite the mural. At lunch time they offer free wi-fi and delicious food. In the evening, they serve a great aperitivo and they often host parties and interesting events.

More on Tuttomondo is available here:

• The Mural of Keith Haring: Tuttomondo
• Keith Haring twenty years later
• In Pisa, Keith Haring’s Last Great Work Is Fading Fast

Italy Blogging Roundtable

This is the third post in a monthly series called The Italy Blogging Roundtable. Here you can find the posts of the other bloggers who participate in the roundtable and who, like me, talk about “a work of art in Italy“:

Alexandra (Arttrav) – Is it possible for an art historian to have one favourite work of art?

Jessica (Italylogue) – My Favorite Work of Art in Italy

Melanie (Italofile) -Five Fabulous Art Works in Rome You May Have Missed

Rebecca (Brigolante) – liding Doors, What-ifs, and the Cross of San Damiano

Patricia of Got Saga asked me to contribute an article to her blog, and I did with pleasure. This is a slightly longer version of the article I wrote for her.

10 alternative things to do in Tuscany

Tuscany is one of the most popular destinations in Italy. Most travelers to this region, though, don’t venture outside the major landmarks. For this reason, they sometimes go back home thinking that Tuscany is a mostly touristy destination with lots of tourists everywhere. Quite to the contrary, Tuscany has lots of places that are easy to reach even if you choose to base yourselves in one of the popular spots but which are definitely off-the-beaten-path. These places can offer you a completely different image of this amazing region, certainly one of the most beautiful places in the world, and make for outstanding day trips.

1. Vie cave

Tuscany was home to one of the most ancient Italic civilizations: the Etruscans. They were powerful and thriving long before the Romans made their appearance on the scene and visiting the remains of their ancient world is one of the most impressive experiences both for adult and younger visitors to the region. One of the most incredible hikes in the entire region is that though the network of roads carved by the Etruscans through tall tuff stone walls near the beautiful town of Pitigliano:  the so-called Vie Cave.  Nobody really knows how Etruscans managed to cut these passages through stone, nor what their actual function was. The most credited hypotheses are that they were either water channels or sacred roads connecting burial grounds and other sacred grounds. A magical walk you won’t easily forget.

(Photo by Sbrinz81)

2. Picnic on Monte Amiata

Most people know that Tuscany is made of gentle rolling hills and open countryside. Most of those landscapes, which are typical of the Val d’Orcia and of the Sienese Crete, were created by an ancient volcano, Mount Amiata. Mount Amiata is the highest peak in the region, at 1700 m above sea level. Its slopes are dotted by small villages and towns, which have a distinct atmosphere. A visit to Mount Amiata is a way to discover a completely different facet of Tuscany, with its beech tree forests, the chestnut groves, the small churches hidden among large volcanic rocks. The woods that cover the top of the mountain are one of the most popular picnic destinations among the locals, who venture there to escape the heat of the long summer days. There are equipped areas where it’s possible to barbecue and sit at one of the many picnic tables. Or you can bring your own picnic food and choose a more private hideaway spot in the woods: it’s never too crowded. If you feel like some sightseeing too, the town of Abbadia San Salvatore has a fabulous medieval abbey, and the drive from Castiglion d’Orcia to Montalcino is simply breathtaking, especially if you are travelling by motorbike.

3. Climbing trees with kids

Italy does not have much which is specifically meant for younger travelers. Tree climbing parks are a notable exception and are perfect for a fun family day on the coast. Cielo Verde Adventure Park is a tree climbing park with itineraries ideal for all different ages. It’s located in the pine tree forest that lines the coast of Marina di Grosseto and makes for a perfect morning activity which can be ideally followed by a relaxing afternoon on the beautiful beach of the Maremma.

4. Horseback ride in the Maremma

The Maremma is a loosely populated area, with plenty of itineraries that are ideally discovered on horseback. Hire a guide for the day, and he will take you through what is considered the wild west of Tuscany, along paths that cut the Mediterranean maquis that covers the hills, through rivers that run through the plains, and past old farm houses and ancient ruins.

(Photo by aeminphilly)

5. Minicruise of the Tuscan archipelago

Tuscany is not only famous for its art heritage: its nature is also just as impressive. Not many people know that the coast of Tuscany is among the best in Italy, and even fewer people know that Tuscany is home to a spectacular archipelago, which is a paradise for divers and sea lovers. If you are on a tight schedule, one great way to enjoy a day at sea is to go on one of the 1 day mini-cruises which set off daily from Castiglione della Pescaia and Porto Santo Stefano and take people to the main islands of the archipelago including the Isle of Giglio, the Isle of Giannutri (a limited-access nature park with a fabulous archaeological site), the Isle of Elba, Capraia, Montecristo and Pianosa. The mini-cruise usually include a seafood meal on board and several stops to visit the islands and take a swim where is allowed.  Yet another way to discover one of the many facets of Tuscany.

(Isola del Giglio, photo by gioanola)

6. San Rossore Nature Park in a carriage

Pisa is famous for its Leaning Tower, but it has many other treasures. One of them is the beautiful nature park of San Rossore, which stretches from the city to the coast. One cool and romantic way to discover the park is to visit it on a horse-drawn carriage, just like the many noblemen and artists who used to spend their vacations in Pisa in the 19^th century used to do it.

(San Rossore in Carrozza)

7. Visit Borgo di Isola santa in Garfagnana

Another area of Tuscany which is very different from the better known images of the region is the mountain area north of Lucca called Garfagnana. This area is dotted by remote towns, semi-abandoned villages, and old large farmhouses where life must have been very hard only 50 years ago. Garfagnana is perfect for hiking but also to spend some time away from it all. One place that certainly allows for an away-from-it-all get away is the hamlet of Isola Santa. The hamlet is on the border of a small lake in the heart of the Apuan Alps. It was abandoned long ago, and some of the houses have recently been renovated and transformed in vacation rental apartments. From the hamlet, trails through the surrounding woods lead to other small abandoned villages: a magic hideaway in Tuscany.

(Photo by Rufux)

8. The monasteries of the Casentino near Arezzo

The wooded area called Casentino, near Arezzo, are the cradle of medieval Tuscany. Since the area is not central to the most popular destinations and definitely not the type of landscape you see on postcards and guidebooks, only few people venture there. Italians, though, love it. The Casentino forest is actually a national park, with great hiking and horseback riding itineraries. The park is dotted by ancient towns with castles and old churches. But the most impressive sites are La Verna and the Camaldoli Hermitages. La Verna is famous because St. Francis of Assisi received his stigmata here and it is a popular destination for pilgrims. Camaldoli is one of the most impressive Benedictine monasteries in Italy, dating back to the 13^th century. Hiking through the Foresta Casentinese to the hermitages is an unforgettable experience.

(Photo by Friar’s Balsam)

9. The Roman-Etruscan sites in Populonia and the beautiful Gulf of Baratti

A daytrip to Populonia and Baratti, on the coast of the Maremma, is a very rewarding experience. Populonia is home to a large Roman-Etruscan archaeological site, with well-preserved remains of houses, public and sacred buildings, burial grounds (necropolis) and roads. The archaeological park is quite big, and there are several itineraries that visitors can follow to visit it and for which you will need between 1 h 30 minutes and 2 hours and 30 minutes. From Populonia, where there is also a great fort on a very panoramic spot, you can walk down to the beautiful cove called Golfo di Baratti and enjoy a day on one of the best beaches in Italy.

(Photo by TuscanyArts)

10. Parco dei Mulini in Val d’Orcia

The Val d’Orcia is one of the most popular areas in Tuscany, but even in such a well-known area there are interesting sites that remain off-the-beaten-path. One of the most impressive is the park created to preserve the ancient medieval mills which supplied the region of Siena with flour. The park is near the pretty town of Bagni Vignone, famous for its thermal baths.

(Photo by gi+cri)

Tuscany is much more than the usual popular spots and venturing out off the beaten path does not mean missing out on something, but enjoying true treasures away from the crowds.

Every Thursday, people can participate in a wine tour to one of the wineries of the area of Terricciola. Few people know this wine region: Pisa and its territory are certainly not famous for wine. As a matter of fact, the area is still within the Chianti denomination and the wines produced in the area belong to the Chianti Colline Pisane DOC region.

(Photo by Eric Perrone)

Every week the tour takes people to a different winery, so it might be nice to go more than once. The tour is very reasonably priced: it only costs 45 euros per person, which includes transportation, a visit to a winery, wine tasting and a visit to a cheese producer (Caseificio L’Avvenire) and to a bakery (Panificio il Quadrifoglio in Terricciola). Here is the program:

• La Spinetta (May 19)
• Badia di Morrona (May 26)
• Fibbiano (June 2)
• Tenuta Podernovo (June 9)
• Castelvecchio (June 16)
• Pieve de’ Pitti (June 23)

You can download a pdf flier here (250kb).

(Photo by HippyDream)

A great opportunity to see a different corner of Tuscany and to discover the wines of the region of Pisa.

Yesterday, it was one of those perfectly sunny winter days and I took advantage of the good weather to go for a walk with my dog.

The countryside is still “wintery”, with the trees which are still leafless except for a few large oak trees.

But the bright green grass is now dotted by small blue flowers and yellow daisies. The bees are going crazy!! And I had never noticed that the prevailing colour at this time of the year is light blue! Beautiful and cheerful!

Even if I have walked these paths many times, I still notice new details that I had never noticed before… what is left of an old road…

An old ladder leaning against a tree… I wonder how log it has been there for…

A pretty pile of stones in a paddle…

If you want to visit Tuscany in March, Casina di Rosa still has some available weeks!

Being St. Valentine’s Day and all, here is a list of ideas of things to do if you choose to spend “il giorno degli innamorati”, the day of lovers, in Tuscany.

1. If you are not scared of heights, and the weather is good, you could go ballooning over the Tuscan countryside. Ballooning Tuscany offers a romantic ride for two with champagne breakfast!
2. Visit one of the cities on a horse-drawn carriage. You could visit Pisa and San Rossore Nature Park or Florence. Or even better, the beautiful countryside surrounding my home village.
3. Spend a relaxing day at the spas: Terme di Petriolo have just reopened near our Casina di Rosa, or the luxury spa Grand Hotel di Petriolo. Near Pisa, my favourite spa is certainly Grotta Giusti, but Bagni di Pisa and Uliveto Terme are also a nice choice for guests of our Behind the Tower apartment in Pisa.
4. Have dinner at a restaurant that is just for the two of you! Paperino in San Miniato, near Pisa, serves only 2 people at a time. A similar restaurant is Le Soir a Pescia.
5. Take a cooking class for two and learn how to cook Italian aphrodisiac foods!

You can do all these activities on any day, not just Valentine’s Day! So I guess, yes: Tuscany is a very romantic place!

Pisa is believed to have been the first city in Tuscany where Jewish families settled as early as in the 9th century: a historical document records the purchase of a house by a Jewish merchant in 850 A.D. and Benjamin of Tudela’s recount of his journey to Jerusalem mentions 20 families living in the city in 1165. In the 13th century, Pisa was a bustling center with a Synagogue near Piazza dei Cavalieri, the political heart of the city, in the area still known as Chiasso de’ Giudei, literally “the alley of the Jews”.
Under the Medici’s rule, Jewish families were encouraged to settle in Pisa so as to boost its economy, and the population kept growing. The presence of a large community is evidenced by some beautiful landmarks in the city, such as the Synagogue and the incredible Jewish cemetery. The roof of the Synagogue, which has been in use since 1674, was severely damaged a couple of years ago, and the community is working to raise enough money to fix it and bring the place of worship back to its original splendor.

The Jewish cemetery is one of the best preserved secrets in Pisa. It is located just outside Piazza dei Miracoli and yet very few people visit it. We actually went on September 5th, the European Day of Jewish Culture, for the first time in all the time we have been living in Pisa… I had always wanted to go, but never got around to doing it. Now I am planning to go back because it’s is really beautiful and fascinating. Here you can read about our visit to the Jewish cemetery in Pisa.

Another place that is connected with the Jewish history of the city is Vitale Da Pisa’s home. In the 15th century, the building on Via Cavalca 36 housed the powerful Da Pisa family’s bank on the ground floor and a Synagogue on the top floor.

The Holocaust didn’t leave Pisa unscarred. In 1931 there were 535 Jewish people living in the city, 12 of which were sent to extermination camps and 8 more were deported but survived. The most terrible episode was the murder of Giuseppe Pardo Roques by the Nazis in 1944. He was a prestigious philanthropist, president of the local community and a local political figure. Eleven other people who were seeking protection at Pardo Roques’ house were murdered in the same attack. The house, in Via S. Andrea, is now a private residence but two plaques commemorate the terrible event as well as Rabbi Augusto Hasda and his wife Bettina Segre who were deported and died in concentration camps.

A thematic visit of the city is a good way to honour the memory of those who were murdered because of their ancient culture but mostly because of human madness.

A very interesting guidebook is the new Jewish Tours in Tuscany (pdf, 1oMB).

• September 18th, 2010: Lungo l’Arno – Pisa vista dal Fiume (On the Arno, Pisa seen from the river): it’s a boat tour of the city. The meeting point is Scalo Roncioni at 5pm. It’s necessary to book 5 days prior to the event, but since they have just started advertising these activities, it might be possible to just show up. It’s worth to give it a try.
• October 9th, 2010: Gli Arsenali Pisani – dal Medioevo all’età Medicea (The Pisan Arsenals – from the Middle Ages to the Medicean Era). It’s a visit to the beautiful Arsenals. The meeting point is by the Guelph Tower at 3:30pm. It’s necessary to book at least 5 days prior to the event.
• November 13th, 2010: Il Museo della Grafica (The Museum of Graphic Art). The meeting point is the entrance to Palazzo Lanfranchi at 3:30pm. It’s necessary to book at least 5 days prior to the event.
• December 11th, 2010: Il Museo di Anatomia e Istologia Patologica (The Anatomy and Histopathology Museum of the University of Pisa). The meeting point is Via Roma, n. 57 at 10:00 am. It’s necessary to book at least 5 days prior to the event.
• January 8th, 2011: Il Complesso di San Michele degli Scalzi (The complex of San Michele degli Scalzi). The meeting point is at the entrance to the church of San Michele degli Scalzi at Le Piagge at 3:30pm. It’s necessary to book at least 5 days prior to the event.
• February 12th, 2011: Palazzo Gambacorti and Via degli Uffizi. The meeting point is Piazza XX Settembre (Le Logge dei Banchi), at 03:30 pm. It’s necessary to book at least 5 days prior to the event.
• March 12th, 2011: Là dove sbarcò l’apostolo Piero – La Basilica di San Piero a Grado (The place where the apostle Peter diembarked – The Basilica of San Piero a Grado). The meeting point is at the entrance to the Basilica at 15:30 am. It’s necessary to book at least 5 days prior to the event.
• April 9th, 2011: Il cantiere delle navi romane – storia di una scoperta (The Roman Shipyard – history of a discovery). This must be very interesting: it’s a visit to the excavation site where the Roman ships of Pisa were found. The meeting point is at the entrance of the site in Via Bandinelli 64, at 03:30 pm. It’s necessary to book at least 5 days prior to the event.
• May 7th, 2011: Da Giardino dei Semplici a Orto Botanico dell’Università di Pisa (From the Garden of the Simple to the University Botanic Garden). A visit to the oldest Botanic Garden in Europe. The meeting point is at the entrance of the Botanic Garden in Via Ghini, at 10:30 am.
• June 11th, 2010: Quando Marina di Pisa si chiamava Bocca d’Arno (When Marina di Pisa was called Bocca d’Arno). A visit to the coastal town of Marina di Pisa. The meeting point is Piazza delle Baleari in Marina di Pisa, at 5:00 pm.

For information and reservations, you need to contact the tourism office of the Comune di Pisa at the number +39 050 910365 or +39 050 910789. The office is open from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 12pm. Here is a link to download the poster of “A Spasso per Pisa“. These are great opportunities to see places normally off-the-beaten-path and to learn something more about this neat city.

Make sure you ask for a guide who can speak your language.

I have also always wanted to visit the Jewish Cemetery in Pisa. Even if it is unknown to most, it is just outside Piazza dei Miracoli, comprised between the city walls and the ever-crowded area where large groups of tourists gather to be picked up by their buses.

I walk by it several times every week, and for years I’ve been too lazy or too busy to actually step inside. For this reason, when we read that today the cemetery would be open to the public and that it would even be possible to have a guided tour, we decided that it was the perfect opportunity to see another piece of Pisa which we didn’t know.

I should probably start by saying that the Jewish community has a long history in Pisa: a 1150 year-long history to be precise. The first official mention dates back to the year 859 A.D.. The area of Pisa was among the first areas in Europe where Jewish communities settled and it is only second to the community in Rome in order of importance. The reason why so many Jews chose the Pisan area as their home is probably that at the time, Pisa was a major commercial center and they worked as intermediaries between the Christian and the Islamic communities in the trades in the Mediterranean.

The guide who showed us around told us that the presence of the Jewish community in Pisa in the Middle Ages is also evidenced by inscriptions on the city walls by the cathedral, which were probably a way to remember some members of the community who, for various reasons, could not be buried in the sacred ground.

At that time, the cemetery occupied an area of what is today property of University Hospital Santa Chiara, which was then outside the city walls. Moreover, a document of the 13th century obligated Jews to live all in the same area, which, by the way, was already occupied by the community. That was not a ghetto: everybody could live there, and trade could be carried out freely. At the beginning of the 14th century, as a matter of fact, the community moved to the area comprised between Via San Martino and Piazza Chiara Gambacorti.

Over the centuries, the city has always seen the presence of a Jewish community, who for hundreds of years controlled the financial life of the city, until the 17th century, when their activities were declared illegal by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Most of the Jews in Pisa became merchants, and many moved to Livorno, where the harbor was a livelier trade center.

In the 19th century the community started to grow again and it has been deeply integrated in the cultural scene in the city ever since.

The cemetery in Pisa is one of the most ancient Jewish burial grounds still in use. It was created in its present location in 1674 after Cosimo III de’ Medici decided to use the area where the older cemetery was located as a hunting area. Some of the old tombs were moved to the new locations.  The oldest tomb stones of the 16th and 17th century are still standing. Their peculiarity is that on one side, they have Hebraic inscriptions, and on the other they have Spanish or Portuguese inscriptions because these people were the descendants of the families who had been expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.

The visit was very interesting. There are tombs of very different styles and epochs and inscriptions in many different languages which evidence the cosmopolitan character of the Pisan community.

Many tombs are damaged: like everything else in the city, the ground tends to sink, and many tombs have sunk or are broken.

I particularly liked the older part. It’s impressive, with many stones under the tall trees: it looks like you are far from the most touristy area of Pisa.

The area with the tombs of the many children who died during the plague in the 17th century is also impressive. We learnt that Jews don’t move their dead people, unlike Christians, so the old little tombs are all there. Many have stones on top. I thought they were just random pieces of other damaged graves, but they are in fact the equivalent of flowers. We were explained that bringing a stone to the grave of a beloved one is the same as bringing flowers, but contrary to flowers which fade easily, stones remain to witness the love of the living ones left behind.

I also found fascinating the double format of the dates in the inscriptions: the “normal date” and the Hebraic date. The new year begins on September 8th, and it will be 5771 if I am not mistaken.We naively asked how they start counting: the guide looked at us with a smile and calmly told us “the creation of the world of course“. Of course.

We bought a book about the community: the money will go towards the restoration of the old Synagogue of the city, dating almost 500 years: it was heavily damaged by a bad storm a few years back. Hopefully, next year, on the European Day of Jewish Culture they will be able to open the Synagogue to the public too.  If you are willing to make a donation, here is the information: http://pisaebraica.it/cms/2008/12/09/emergenza-tetto/.

We really enjoyed the visit. I highly recommend a visit to this interesting, little-known place in Pisa, which is definitely on the beaten path and yet well off it!

Planning a trip to Tuscany? Check out our self-catering apartment in Pisa!