Formerly one of Italy’s biggest maritime powers, modern day Pisa is about 60 miles from the sea, and a shadow of its former glories.
Most people do a day trip from Florence to see the eponymous tilted tower and don’t consider Pisa for much else. It’s a shame too that some attractions are now closed e.g. The ancient ships museum. Despite the hordes of tourists who congregate at the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), Pisa remains a sleepy, relaxed town meandering its way through a modern life of day tourists and selfie stick sellers.
Gastronomically-speaking, Pisan food is much like the rest of Tuscany’s although it does boast a few of its own specialities. Where else could you expect to find a frog soup or a slender linguine dish with fish? Perhaps wild boar sauced pasta is more to your palate?
One my first night, I chose a traditional Pisan restaurant hidden in a small street off the main tourist drag of Borgo Stretto. (Osteria dei Tinti) It was pricier than the normal tourist traps with their prix-fix menus but I wanted something different. The place was very compact and I managed to grab the last table. I opted for a Pisan specialty, chickpea and bacala (salted cod) as a starter. I’d asked for a small bowl but it still came as a massive serving.
It was interesting: at once nutty and full-flavoured, drizzled liberally with extra virgin olive oil and flavoured delicately with tomato and lemon. Flakes of fresh parsley lent an additional hit to the tastebuds. I decided I quite liked it.
The main course was another Tuscan dish: black rice with prawns and orange. Black rice is hard to cook but here it was silky with a giant tiger prawn basking in the middle of the plate. They had replaced the oranges with grapefruit, which I thought did not serve as well as oranges. All in all, service was pleasant but glacial. It’s no wonder that the slow food movement started in Italy.
On the second night, I went out with a local work colleague, Giovanni, to a restaurant next to the theatre and fittingly called il Fantasme dell Opera. I had a red mullet baked in white wine with olives and herbs, and a selection of roasted greens (zucchini, eggplant, artichoke and tomatoes).
While the rustic taste of Italy was there, I didn’t feel quite as enamoured with the food as I had the night before. I was rather disappointed that I could not find any restaurants serving zuppa di rannochi (a.k.a. Frog soup).
In between, there were stops at various cafes and pasticherrias (for pastries, cakes, and other tooth fairy employment perennials) for rich coffees and delicious distractions. Pisa is famed for its torta co’ bischeri, a small which is made from white rice, dark chocolate, candied fruit, and spices. Occasionally, they make it with chestnut too, but I was loathe to pay €8 for a very small slice just to say I’ve had it. The torta was originally given out to pilgrims who came to Pisa for the Feast of Miracles.
People at the touristy places generally spoke passable English, so you will be understood. However, in less touristy places, they will only speak Italian so it is handy to have a smattering of Italian. This being Europe, I was approached by a group of Spanish travellers who spoke no language apart from their own and who wanted to know if they were on the right bus stop for the Pisa Mover bus to the airport. I had to take a moment to disconnect mentality from the Italian I’d been used to in order to respond suitably in Spanish.
Pisa airport is merely 8 to 10 minutes away from the city centre and the Pisa Mover offers a cheap (€1.20) and convenient (every 10 minutes) way of getting to the airport.
So,while Florence and Siena (and even Lucca) tend to grab the stayers, stay in Pisa for a couple of days at least, to “feel” la vita Italiana at the pace it was meant to be.