We returned to Rome and immediately drove to the town of Tarquinia and spent the night. The next morning we drove through Massa Maritima (whose most famous mural is under restoration so we have to take the whole trip over again), arriving in Pisa with enough time left to glance at its tourist center before the sun set. The next day we drove across Italy, stopped briefly in San Marino, then found our way to the Istrian peninsula.

The historic monuments of Pisa.

A completely undocumented bar in Tarquinia. We went instead to a signposted trattoria full of pictures of the owner and his baby. The locals were watching the Rome vs. Lazio soccer game on the TV, and we ate the place's signature pizza, sausage and zucchini with no tomato sauce.

Underneath this scaffolding in Massa Marittima is a mural of a tree on which penises grow -- we know because a postcard of it shows the same marks on the surrounding arch. Here's a link to an article about it -- if it's gone, just search for it.

Our Michelin road atlas identified this stretch of road as being especially scenic. The scene here was a massive geothermal energy area, with pipes snaking all over the place, cooling towers, and a distant view of steam coming out of the ground.

Pisa is a big college town. Many of the statues have cartoon balloons.

A tourist being photographed holding up the tower.

It turns out that the famous tower is actually just the bell tower for Pisa's cathedral, which along with the adjoining Baptistery, was quite ornate inside and out. There's a terrific architectural unity here except they forgot to make the other buildings tip.

Facade of the Cathedral.

A group of nuns emerging from their pilgrimage to the Cathedral. Inside the Cathedral...

The Baptistery.

Above the Baptistery door. Inside the Baptistery...

Another building in the complex was the Camposanto, a large gallery whose famous frescoes were under restoration.

We had to make do with the numerous sarcophagi scattered around the rooms. Inside the Camposanto...

Finally, the time on our tower climb tickets had arrived.

Ancient (by California standards) graffiti on the walls.

On top. Sunset colors.

The camera was level with the tower.

A nearby museum contained various treasures. This is an Islamic gryphon. Pisa and the other coastal cities had a large Muslim population. I forget whether this one was of local manufacture or booty. Inside the Museum...

Fall colors covered the hillsides as we drove across Italy.

The tiny hilltop nation of San Marino, entirely surrounded by Italy.

Guns are illegal in Italy, but it's easy to get them here.

On to Istria