Pisa is a legendary tourist blackspot.
I had heard people say "Just get in, do the monuments and get out again."
So I was not surprised when, before we had even got halfway out the car, hawkers tried to sell us knock-off sunglasses.
Not surprised when the route towards the duomo and its leaning campanile, turned out to be a boulevard made narrow by tat stalls.
Not surprised when we saw a hundred tourists being photographed by hundreds more as they each posed as if holding up the Leaning Tower.
But what did surprise me - what actually drew a Wow! from me was the beauty of the great white and grey Romanesque duomo and its baptistry.
In an act of genius it was framed by an expanse of emerald green lawn.
It was a place of solemn grace and even the surrounding tourist hype had not managed to make it tawdry.
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