Free Guide of Tuscany - Pisa

Pisa is one of the provincial capitals of Tuscany. It is situated a few kilometres from the mouth of the Arno river, which flows through the city, and around 100 kilometres from Florence.
The open air museum otherwise known as the Piazza dei Miracoli is an UNESCO World Heritage site.  The Piazza's famous Leaning Tower along with all the artistic treasures contained in its churches and museums, makes Pisa one of the most attractive cultural destinations in Italy, certainly not to be missed for fans of Tuscany.  The city reached the height of its splendour during the period of the Maritime Republics. Birthplace of Galileo Galilei, one of the fathers of modern science (1564-1642), today its pride is the Scuola Normale Superiore, one of the most famous educational and research institutions in Italy.
The city can be visited at any time of the year, but it is during the spring that it shows its sweetest and most charming side. Pisa's vicinity to the sea makes its climate mild, and therefore also pleasant in winter. A stroll through the churches and buildings that flank the two banks of the Arno, or a visit to the city’s museums – such as Museo delle Sinopie (fresco sketches) and Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (artwork from the Cathedral complex) and Museo Nazionale di San Matteo – is a pleasant way to spend time in the winter months.
The best place to start a visit to Pisa is in the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), a metaphysically harmonious square and home to the city’s three most emblematic monuments. The most famous of these is the Leaning Tower, actually the bell tower of the adjacent Duomo, which, since  its construction in 1173, has defied the sloping land and law of gravity. The white marble of the cylindrical tower stands out against the green lawn in the piazza, where its arched base starts. It continues to rise for six floors of small loggias that mirror the external decoration of the Cathedral. The Duomo, also in white marble, boasts engraved bronze doors which open onto a bright interior, containing various important works, including a 14th-century Gothic pulpit by Giovanni Pisano and a large 13th-century mosaic in the apse basin. The Baptistery, an impressive circular building in Romanesque style, dates back to the 12th century. Pisa’s tower is a symbol of the wealth and power of the former Maritime Republic. After its decline, which began with a defeat by its rival Genoa, and no longer on the sea due to natural phenomena, the city rediscovered its greatness under the Florentine Medici family, who made a center of Renaissance art and a prestigious university city.
Fittingly, most of the rest of the city bears the mark of the Renaissance style. Piazza Cavalieri, the old heart of the Maritime Republic, contains harmonious 16th century buildings, mainly commissioned by the Medicis and designed by Giorgio Vasari, including Palazzo Cavalieri, home to the Scuola Normale Superiore and the Palazzo dell’Orologio (Clock Building), with its façade characterised by a large arch uniting the two separate buildings. From here, along the porticoed streets such as Borgo Stretto, visitors will encounter the ambience of Renaissance Pisa.  The Chiesa di San Michele in Borgo impresses its powerful Pisan Romanesque-Gothic façade, and continuing on across the Arno by way of Pisa's oldest bridge, the Ponte di Mezzo,  the Medici part of the city beckons.  As an added bonus, the view of the buildings which flank the river is wonderful.

Special Events
Pisa was an important Maritime Republic in the Middle Ages. Over the centuries a great deal of sand was carried away by the Arno, permanently moving the city away from the sea. But the Pisans do not bear a grudge against the river; every year they light its course, its bridges and the buildings that flank it with more than 70,000 tiny lanterns, to celebrate the renewed relationship between the Arno and the city. The Luminara di San Ranieri is celebrated on the evening of June 16th, which in addition to being the feast of the city's patron saint, also celebrates Pisa’s symbolic marriage to the Arno. Other special events include the Regata Storica of the Maritime Republics (every four years) and the Gioco del Ponte, featuring two opposing sides in 16th century costumes competing on Ponte di Mezzo on the last Sunday in June.

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