PISA, SAN MORENO, AND CORINALDO
Of course, there were tons of people there, the majority of which, were trying to hold up the tower.
The Tower is amazing! Construction began in 1173 and was halted twice due to wars. It ended up taking 344 years to complete. It was built as a bell tower for the cathedral.
Construction on the Duomo began in 1064. It's hard to realize that these edifices are that old. They have all been well preserved.
The baptistry is just as magnificent as the cathedral and the tower. The ornate architecture is unbelievable.
Here are two resting tourists taking a load off their feet and watching the many people there.
These are the walls that surround the piazza. Very old.
The Arno River runs through Pisa and we were able to cross it and drive along it to see some of the sights. We were actually looking for food and found a delightful shop where we found some quattro stagione (four seasons) pizza.
Ham, artichokes, mushrooms and olives. It was so good. I still haven't figured out why the olives are always whole. I guess it's easier.
This was the view from our hotel room. I love that Pisa is flat, unlike Ancona, where we live.
All day Saturday was spent at the Pisa chapel. They have a real church building unlike many of the small branches here who just rent apartments and houses for their church buildings.
On October 22 we went to Rimini to inspect missionary apartments. We are supposed to make sure the missionaries aren't living like slobs, I guess. Anyway, after finishing there we took a small detour up Mount Titano to visit The Republic of San Marino. It's a country state that was founded in 301 A.D. This armor was just outside one of the little gift shops near the bottom of our hike to the top.
The view from the gift shop.
The entrance to the walled part of the city.
This is one of the flower beds that we passed on our climb to the top. There were many shops on the walk. Many of them sell perfume, jewelry and some leather goods.
These are the towers at the top of the climb.
What more can you say? We could see forever. City after city and finally the sea in the far distance. What a sight!! Well worth the hike.
When we finished, we ate at a little ristorante near our parking lot. Of course, we ate pizza. It's always cheap and easy.
And this is why Italian Pizza is so superior. Wood fired oven. Yummy!!
On Halloween a few of the members of our branch went to Corinaldo, a city not too far from Ancona. They do a huge Halloween celebration every year to attract many of the neighboring communities. It's a family friendly affair. I apologize for the quality of the pictures but it was dark and I only had my phone. They can give you a little feel of the event.
Most of the entertainment we weren't able to see because of the crowds. This was up higher so we did see some of it.
These are our local elders. Elder Jacob, Beaulac, Pugsley,and Stringfellow They are the best. We love them.
Everyone had a good time.
Kimberly Aranas with her parents, Jude and Evelyn.
Marina and Paolo Giugliarelli
We would like to go back to Corinaldo in the day time and visit this city. It has been well preserved and has many interesting buildings.
