No matter how many times I have seen the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, no matter how crowded with tourists, I am entranced again by its medieval majesty. We skipped going in; after the train ride to Pisa and the tour of the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery (behind you and to your left as you view this shot), there just wasn't enough time or strength. And besides, 15 € to climb the tower seemed steep (ouch!). But Rachel, Ilana, Haley, Samantha and I managed to catch a bit of rest on the grass, and I volunteered to put the tower back where it belonged. (See next photo.)
Thanks to Lilach, an Israeli who is a local medical student and works with the community, we got into the cemetery to see tombs dating from medieval to modern times, including those of Portuguese 17th century settlers and Holocaust survivors. Outside there are Hebrew names inscribed into the city wall: are they marking graves of poor people who couldn't afford regular plots?



Most of the kids left from Pisa for the week-end. On the train ride home, Samantha met the pitcher of Italy's baseball team. Or so he claimed! (And he was carrying a baseball!)