Pisa vs Florence????

Hi All!
I am planning a trip to Italy and Switzerland in April this year. i have charted the route like this: Amsterdam to Zurich- Zurich to Venice- Venice to Pisa- Pisa to Rome- Rome to Amsterdam (by air).
Any comments or suggestions on this plan? I am planning to spend 2 days at each of the locations.
But I am not sure what all is there to look at in Pisa. I know the Leaning Tower but not anything else. Are 2 days more/sufficient/less for Pisa? Or should I include Florence instead of Pisa? Can anyone tell me whether this will be a good idea? And I would also like to know the various attractions that are there in Florence.
By the way I will be travelling with my parents and girlfriend, and all of us are non-drinkers. So we wont mind missing out on any good wines that any city may offer.
Thanks again!
Travellingtechie!

I'd suggest you skip Pisa/Florence and spend an extra 2 days in Rome. It's a big city with lots to see--2 days alone will just give you a small taste of everything! Or add in another Swiss city (Interlaken is beautiful, for example) to get a better feel for the county.

i'd skip pisa too, but would visit florence. i just loved the city, the area, the people, and the weather. there is a ton of churches and art. maybe its just me, but gli uffizi alone are reason enough to go there (if youre into art)
theres really nothing of interest in pisa (standing in front of the leaning tower isnt worth a trip, believe me)

i grew up right at the border to switzerland, so maybe im just so used to being there that i prefer italy.. but it certainly is a beautiful country.

skip Pisa nothing to see there, just the tower and the square

you may consider going to Lucca instead of Pisa, not as famous as Pisa but a lot more beautiful and relaxing once you are inside the walls

hi everyone

[ Edit: Edited on Jan 7, 2009, at 8:45 AM by Biondo2 ]

Only reason to go to Pisa IMO is the Ryanair airport. There is nothing but the leaning tower and this can be seen in 2 hours.

Florence however is a totally different story. If you are into art or fashion Florence is a must. Sometimes it is even recommended that you spent more time in Florence than in Rome. At the very least Florence deserves more time than Venice. Venice can be seen in 1-2 days, Florence needs at least 3 days.

If you really must see Pisa, look into doing it this way: Get up early and go from Florence to Pisa. See the leaning tower, then get on the train to go to Rome.

Attractions: Florence is known for being the home of the Medicis, the Uffici galleries, Micheangelo's David, the Duomo, the old city, the Ponte Vecchoio, countless chapels and churches painted with priceless art, countless little shops with the latest Italian fashion and finally for being the capital of Tuscany. Tuscany is the "quintessential Italy", the Italy you see in paintings and drawings all over the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medici
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscany

Florence is usually used as a base to explore the surroundings, especially San Gimignano and Siena and often Pisa.
Many people spend up to 7 days in Florence, doing 2-4 daytrips during that time.

My most favorite restaurant in the whole world is in Florence. It's called La Spada and is pretty centrally located. The food there is amazing!!

Skip Pisa and spend your time in Florence instead. I like the previous poster's suggestion about subsituting Lucca for Pisa - Lucca is so charming. But Florence is NOT to be missed. Go to the Uffizi, if nothing else, and spend your time walking, walking, walking around the city. Florence is one of the most beautiful cities on earth!

Pisa is wonderful; as a city, I like it MUCH better than Florence, even though there is less to see.

But I'm with Tway: don't do either, spend some more time in Rome. You don't want your itinerary to get all full and rushy; after all it's a vacation.