Pisa or Siena
We are going to Italy soon and still need to make a big decision. We are going to take a day trip from Florence. Do we go to Pisa...
or Siena? (pictures from Flickrstorm)
Pisa- Obviously, we would go just to see the tower. I feel like, how could we go to Italy and NOT see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then I hear that the city of Pisa is pretty small and boring. A lot of pick-pockets and people trying to sell cheap purses and such. I hear that you see the tower, walk around a bit, and then go home. Is it worth the train ticket and ride out there?
OR
Siena- In the middle of Tuscany wine country. The town has museums, churches, great restaurants, etc.
It seems like a no-brainer to me and I am leaning toward Siena. However, I feel like missing the Tower is just something that you don't do if you are spending 15 days in Italy. Hummmm....
I say Siena all the way! I've heard the same thing---Pisa is a tourist trap. I don't think you'll regret it.
I've never been but I would say Siena sounds a lot more appealing.
Siena! I've been to both, and there's a lot more of culture and interest in Siena. Pisa is just touristy.
When I was in Italy for 6 weeks I never went to Pisa and I have never felt like I missed out on anything. Sienna sounds WONDERFUL!!
Hmm, when we were in Florence, we did both a day trip to Chianti (not Siena but close) and then a day trip to Pisa when we are in Lucca. I loved both!
I do think Pisa gets a bad rap. It was one of my fave days. Yes, it's small, but we followed the Rick Steve's Walking Tour and had a lot of fun. We saw where Galileo studied, etc. More culture than you think. And of course the tower.
Either way you can' go wrong :-)
I've only been to Italy once (in high school) and we did go to Pisa. Based on my experience and what you said, Siena sounds like your best bet. The tower is cool, but you'll just get pictures that look like all the other pictures you see. With Siena, it sounds like you'll get to explore a more quaint town. But like Stephanie said, I'm sure you'll be happy with either. It's Italy, after all!
Oh, and if you decide against Pisa, I would seriously consider a Chianti out of Florence, in addition or even instead of Siena, too. Ours was great. We saw a tons of tiny, wine country villages and it was beautiful.
I've done Italy twice and the first time I didn't go to Pisa. The second time it was literally a pit stop, but I also had a rail pass so it wasn't like I was buying a train ticket. We literally took a cab from the train station to the Tower, took the touristy pictures, got back into the same cab, went back to the train station and onto Florence (we were coming from Rome). Just be sure not to miss out on David in Florence. Totally worth it.
We visited Italy, skipped Pisa, and I don't feel bad about it at all. I'd pick Siena!