Pisa, Italy

I visited Pisa many times as a tourist in the '70s and once or twice in the '80s, then lived a few miles away for eight wonderful weeks during the summer of 2001, teaching for the University of Maryland on a combination Army and Air Force base half a mile inland from the Mediterranean.

The photo at left is one of the few on this website I didn't take myself. It's a postcard I bought, showing the Piazza dei Miracoli, the Plaza of Miracles. At the right is the Leaning Tower, which I climbed a half a dozen times in the '70s but which was closed, alas, for repairs in 2001. The big building in the center is the Duomo, or catherdral, and the red-roofed circular building at the left is my favorite, the Baptistry.

Applicants for a position as a Baptistry security guard have to be able to hit and hold an operatic note, and, if you ever get to Pisa, you should wait for the tourist traffic to thin out a little and offer the guard a few bucks to sing. I don't want to spoil it for you by saying too much. Just trust me on this one: hold out five Euros or so and say "Cantare, per piacere?" If he takes your money, stand there and listen for a while — and, when you get home, drop me a line and let me know what you think.

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