Pisa in Tuscany Italy, Tuscany Travel Guide, Tuscanweb

Pisa with 85,380 inhabitants is a city in Tuscany, northern Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa and is located at 4 meters over the sea level.

Pisa is situated in the fluvial plain of the Arno River, and its port has always been on the river. It was during the Middle Ages, that the city assumed its marine character and became one of the maritime republics. It is not really sure when Pisa was founded. The city lay where two rivers, Arno and Auser - now disappeared, ended in the Tyrrhenian Sea forming a laguna area. Founded by settlers from Liguria, it began as Greek colony; there are traces of an Etruscan presence between the 6th and 3rd centuries BC.

Archeological remains confirm the existence of a sea city already in the 5th century BC, which traded with Greeks and Gauls. Also ancient Roman authors referred to Pisa as an old city.

During the later years of the Roman Empire Pisa did not decay as much as the other cities of Italy, thanks to the complexity of its river system and the consequent easiness of defense. Pisa began its rise to the role of main port of the Thyrrenian Sea and main centre of the trades between Tuscany and Corsica, Sardinia and the southern coasts of Spain and France.

Various victories over the Saracens extended its control over lands as far as Sardinia, Corsica and Calabria as well as the Balearic Islands and Palermo and Lipari in Sicily where contact with Islamic people and their culture occurred.

The gold taken from the Saracens in Palermo allowed the Pisans to start the building of their cathedral and the other monuments which constitute the famous Campo dei Miracoli.

A Pisane fleet of 120 ships also took part in the first crusade and the Pisans were important role in the taking of Jerusalem in 1099. On their way to the Holy Land the ships did not miss the occasion to sack some Byzantine islands.

Pisa and the other Marine Republics took advantage of the crusade to establish trading posts and colonies in the Eastern coastal cities of Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. In all these cities and colonies the Pisane citizens were granted privileges and immunity from taxation, but had to contribute to the defense in case of attack.

In the 12th century the Pisane quarter in the Eastern part of Constantinople had a population of around 1,000 people. In those times, Pisa was the most prominent military ally and trader of the Byzantine Empire, overcoming Venice itself.

In 1113 Pisa set up, together with the count of Barcelona and other contingents from Provence and Italy, but not Genoa, a war to free the Balearic Islands from the Moors. The war loot what was taken helped the Pisa in their magnificent program of buildings, especially the cathedral, and Pisa gained a role of prominence in the Mediterranean.

The war between Pisa and Genoa began in 1119 when the Genoese attacked several galleys, and lasted until 1133. The two cities clashed themselves in sea and land but hostilities were limited to raids and pirate assaults.

The conflict with Lucca concerned also the possession of the castle of Montignoso and primarily for the control of the Via Francigena, the main road connecting Rome to Europe. Such a sudden and great strengthening of the power of Pisa could only mean another war with Genoa.

To counter the Genoese predominance in the southern Thyrrenian Sea, Pisa strengthened his relationship with their Spanish and French traditional bases and tried to defy the Venetian rule of the Adriatic Sea. Pisa signed trade and political pacts with Ancona, Pula, Split and Brindisi: in 1195 a Pisane fleet reached Pula to help in maintain its independence from Venice, but the Venetians managed soon to reconquer the rebel sea city.

After the various defeated by the Venetians, two cities signed a peace treaty in which Pisa gave up all its hopes to expand in the Adriatic. The decline of Pisa began in August, 1284, when the superior fleet of Pisa was defeated by the brilliant tactics of the Genoese fleet in the dramatic naval Battle of Meloria. This defeat ended the marine power of Pisa and the town never fully recovered. Goods continued to be traded, in reduced quantity, but the end came when the Arno started to change course, making impossible to the galleys to reach the city's port up the river.

In 1406 Pisa passed under the dominion of Florence and its role of port of Tuscany went to Livorno. During this period Pisa experienced moments of great intellectual and artistic prosperity. In 1343 the Univesita della Sapienza was established.

In the 15th century, the accession to the sea became more and more difficult, as the port was silting up and was cut off from the sea. Its decline is clearly shown by its population, which has remained almost unchanged since middle Ages times.

Pisa was the birthplace of the founder of modern physics, Galileo Galilei. It is still an archbishopric seat and has gained a role as a light industrial centre and as a railway hub.

Today, in addition to tourism, Pisa is a thriving city with many small industries and service companies, facilitated by an excellent infrastructure providing easy access.

One of the most important of these is Galileo Galilei Airport, which provides a modern opening towards Europe.

It is a city to be discovered, offering many attractions in addition to its ever splendid Piazza del Duomo. It goes without saying that any visit should commence with Campo dei Miracoli - Field of Miracles.

Places to Visit

Campo dei Miracoli

Field of Miracles - lying to the northwest of the city centre, with world famous Leaning Tower, it is partnered by the Duomo, the Baptistery and the Campo Santo cemetery. These buildings combine definite Moorish elements such as inlaid marble in geometric patterns, with delicate Romanesque colonnading and spiky Gothic niches and pinnacles. The immense green expanse from which these famous architectural monuments emerge leaves you speechless. The image they instill in your mind is unforgettable. There is no question it is certainly one of the most unique squares. Nothing is out of place, the different monuments seem to call out to each other and copy one another in their loggias, the color of their marble, their statuary and even in the peaceful atmosphere of the cemetery.

Torre Pendente

Leaning Tower - the symbol of Pisa and of Italy itself. All the buildings of the Field of Miracles lean because of their shallow foundations and sandy silt subsoil, but none tilts so famously as Leaning Tower. Begun in 1173, the tower began to tip sideways before the third storey was completed. Anyway, construction continued until its completion in 1350. The tower takes the shape of a gigantic column, with open rows of columns one on top of the other, fitting in perfectly with the style of the rest of the square. A climb to the top of the stairs provides a truly unique view of the square below. - Duomo - the Duomo was built between 11th and 12th Centuries out of the spoils of an incursion against Arabs in the Palermo area. Designed by Rainaldo, the splendid facade has four rows of loggias topped by a triangular angled roof crowned with statues. The interior is in the shape of a Latin cross with five naves and contains masterpieces by artists such as Andrea del Sarto, Sodoma, Beccafumi and many others. Especially worthy of admiration is the marble pulpit by Giovanni Pisano considered to be highest expression of the 14th Century sculpture in Pisa.

Baptistery

Baptistery was designed by Diotislavi and commenced in 1152. Four portals adorn the base of the monument. Inside, Nicola Pisano`s great marble pulpit, completed in 1260 is carved with lively scenes from The Life of Christ.

Campo Santo

Campo Santo cemetery begun in 1278, designed by Giovanni di Simone. It was for centuries the burial place of many well known dignitaries. The cemetery contains earth from Holy Land and carved Roman sarcophagi.

The Museo dell Opera del Duomo

Cathedral Museum - contains works by Giovanni and Nicola Pisano and the Treasury of the Cathedral which consists of reliquaries, inlaid works, religious ornaments, illustrated choir books and items found in the cemetery.

Piazza dei Cavalieri

Piazza dei Cavalieri is the Renaissance and Medici centre of Pisa, redesigned by Giorgio Vasari on the instructions of Cosmo I. Splendid Palazzo dei Cavalieri is today the headquarters of the "Scuola Normale Superiore" which Napoleon established in 1810 as the local version of "L`Ecole Superieure" in Paris.

The Palazzo dell Orologio

Palace of the Clock - was designed by Vasari by putting together two existing towers and building a third tower with a clock in the centre. In one of the towers, the Gualandi, Count Ugolino della Gherardesca was allowed to die of hunger; Dante describes him in Hell.

The Museo Nazionale di S. Matteo

Located in a part of a Benedictine convent. On the ground floor is a special collection of medieval ceramics bowls with Islamic origins which were used as to decorate the exterior of churches. The museum contains an extensive cross section of all the different arts produced in Pisa and Tuscany.

Ponte di Mezzo

Rebuilt after Second World War and for centuries the centre of city life. The festival of Luminara is held the night of the 16th of June, the evening prior to the city’s patron saint’s day.

Maria della Spina

A 14th Century building created by enlarging an existing oratorio on the bank of the river and then moving it to its current position. It is impressive for the detail of its spires, statues, pinnacles and other decorations of the Pisa school.

Pisa