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Italy
Map . Pisa Map .
Europe
Map . Bus
Tours. |
Most of Pisa’s attractions
are concentrated within its old
city, surrounded by a circuit of
stone walls measuring around 11km
long. Built in 1155, this ancient
fortification is considered one of
the longest walls built in the
Middle Ages.
In the north-western edge of the
old city, often referred to as The
Field of Miracles, is Pisa’s
four most historic buildings.
Constructed out of gleaming white
marble, the imposing structures
seem to reflect the sun in the
daytime, then softly glowing when
the sun sets.
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Enter the square
through its ancient gate, the Porta
Nuova, and you’ll reach the
Baptistery of San Giovanni.
Students beware! According to
urban legend, if you’re an
undergraduate and you walk around
the Baptistery, you will never
graduate.
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The oldest building in the area,
the Cathedral (Duomo), was built in
1063 on the remains of the old
Etruscan and Roman temples.
Not only magnificent on the
outside, within are splendid art
works, amongst which are bronze
angels, marble mosaics,
Giambologna's crucifix and gorgeous
sculptures, most of them polished
to a shine by visitors who touched
them for good luck.
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Adjacent to the Duomo is the
iconic Leaning Tower. The bell
tower, which would have stood at 56
metres if not for its
characteristic 5.5 degrees tilt, is
now 54 meters tall with a 294-step
spiral staircase leading to the
bell chamber. Although the medieval
bells still remain, for obvious
stability reasons, they are no
longer rung.
If you look carefully,
you’ll find that not only the
Leaning Tower tilts quirkily due to
the unsteady grounds it was built
on; the Duomo and Baptistery are
not standing that straight either,
as are some of the other buildings
in town!
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The Campo Santo monumentale
("monumental cemetery") lies at
the northern edge of the Square.
It is a walled cemetery, which
many claim is the most beautiful
cemetery in the world.
It is said to have been built
around a shipload of sacred soil
from Golgotha, brought back to
Pisa from the Fourth Crusade by
Ubaldo de' Lanfranchi, archbishop
of Pisa in the 12th century.
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The Knights’ Square is one
of the most important landmarks in
Pisa. This square was the political
centre in medieval Pisa. After the
middle of XVI century, the square
become the headquarters of the
Order of the Knights of St.
Stephen.
Now it is a centre of education,
being the main house of the Scuola
Normale di Pisa, an higher learning
institution part of the
University.
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Santa Maria della Spina is a
small Gothic church in Pisa
erected in 1230.
In 1871, the church was
dismantled and rebuilt on a
higher level due to dangerous
infiltration of water from the
Arno river, the church was
slightly altered in the
process.
Situated on the street named
Lungarno Gambacorti in the centre
of Pisa.
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San Zeno is a church and an
abbey in Pisa, documented since
1029. It was part of an abbey built
over pre-existing edifices, and,
until the 15th century, it had also
a hospital. In the 12th century it
was held by Camaldolese monks.
The interior has ancient Roman
capitals and traces of medieval
paintings.
Situated in the northeast corner
of the old walled town.
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The two historical quarters on
the southside of the city are
divided by a very lively street:
Corso Italia, the High Street of
Pisa. This is a very good place to
shop: the best shops can be found
here and in Borgo Stretto, on the
other side of the river.
An ideal walk can begin from the
Central Train Station, which was
built in 1863 and then refurbished
after the bombing of the Second
World War.
Actually, this part of the city
still has very clear signs of the
atrocious bombings of 1944 when
Pisa was attacked for 45
consecutive days: 57 bombings, over
3000 civilians killed and 50% of
the buildings were destroyed.
This tragedy is evident walking
from the station towards Corso
Italia. All the buildings are
modern or have been rebuilt.
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More
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ticket information.
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The Cinque Terre is a rugged
portion of coast on the Italian
Riviera. It is in the Liguria
region of Italy, to the west of the
city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands"
comprises five villages: Monterosso
al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia,
Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
The coastline, the five
villages, and the surrounding
hillsides are all part of the
Cinque Terre National Park and is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To visit these towns from Pisa
if you do not have a car, you have
to get the train to La Spezia, 53
miles north, about 1 hour 20 min,
then get a local train from La
Spezia to Genoa, buying a ticket to
any of the towns that are situated
only a few miles north of La
Spezia. You can get on and off
at each town.
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