Top 7 to see in Pisa
- On 18 January 2019
- In Places to visit
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When we speak of Pisa we inevitably refer to its tower; but this impressive leaning bell tower is just one of the many monuments offers the beautiful Tuscan city. The beautiful Piazza del Duomo collects, in an architectural complex unique in the world, not by chance called Campo dei Miracoli, the main religious monuments of the city: the Leaning Tower, the Duomo, the Baptistery and Campo Santo. Pisa, however, does not end in this square: just move a little to discover the artistic wonders that make it one of the most beautiful cities of art in Italy. Buildings, monuments and museums contribute to keep alive the memory of a past in which Pisa was the Maritime Republic and, for a long time, the undisputed master of the Mediterranean. Moreover, keeping the title of Queen of Studies, conferred on it by the Florentines, still very strong, Pisa is an extremely young, dynamic and animated city.
1 The Leaning Tower
2 The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
3 The Monumental Camposanto
1 The Leaning Tower
Even if you can feel a sense of fear, do not be impressed: the vertical axis that passes through its center of gravity falls into the base of support, so that unless the laws of physics are subverted, the tower will never fall. It is thought that the tower was designed by Diotisalvi, who was building the Baptistery at the same time. In reality, even though there are many similarities between the two buildings, the diatribe on the paternity of the project is still ongoing. The Tower of Pisa has been proposed as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
2 The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
The Cathedral of Pisa, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, is the most significant example of Pisan Romanesque art. The architect Buscheto, combining the classical tradition with elements of Norman, Byzantine, early Christian and Arab art, gave life to an original style that anticipated the Florentine Renaissance.
The Cathedral of Pisa is a tangible testimony of the prestige that the Maritime Republic reached in its heyday. Its construction began in 1064, coinciding with the reconstruction of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice; it is probable that between the two cities a tacit competition was born on the creation of the most beautiful and sumptuous place of worship. The current aspect of the Cathedral is the result of continuous restoration work carried out over several periods. During the nineteenth century some sculptures were replaced by copies and are now kept in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.
3 The Monumental Camposanto of Pisa
The last marvel of the Campo dei Miracoli is the Monumental Camposanto of Pisa, a sacred place because the Crusaders brought here the holy land taken on Mount Golgotha, just outside Jerusalem.
The most illustrious Pisan figures are buried there and there are works of art from the Etruscan period, to the Roman and medieval ones, to masterpieces of the last century. Simple walls of white marble guard the tombs of the dead, the most prominent personalities were buried in the central garden or in the Roman sarcophagi, while under the arches rested less prestigious personalities. When the Camposanto was restored in the nineteenth century, the sarcophagi were also moved indoors, so that all the burials are currently under the arches. The intersection between celebration of history and reflection on death made the Camposanto one of the most visited monuments in the nineteenth century, until the bombings of the Second World War caused serious damage to the frescoes. Restoration work began in 1945, but unfortunately they are still underway.
4 The Lungarni of Pisa
In addition to being famous for Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa is also known for its spectacular lungarni: the streets that line the river Arno. Lungarni are both important meeting points for young Pisans and interesting points of reference for tourists.
They house important buildings, dating back to the Middle Ages, which have been transformed, then, over the centuries. Although palaces, bridges, towers and churches today take on a renaissance appearance, the skeleton of medieval imprint will not escape the eye of the attentive tourist. Among the various riversides, the best known is the Medici one that houses the major historical buildings of the city, such as the Palazzo dei Medici, Palazzo Toscanelli and the Church of San Matteo in Soarta.
On Lungarno Gambacorti there is a small Gothic jewel, the church of Santa Maria della Spina. He took this name in 1333 when he received the relic of a thorn from the crown of Christ (now exhibited in the church of Santa Chiara). Inside there is a beautiful Madonna della Rosa by Andrea and Nino Pisano.
If you are in Pisa on the 16 June do not miss the Luminara di San Ranieri: the lungarni are lit by numerous flames that enhance the contours of all the buildings creating evocative games of lights and colors.
5 Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa
The hurried tourist who leaves Pisa after the classic tour of the Campo dei Miracoli loses this marvelous town square. Piazza dei Cavalieri takes its name from the presence, commissioned by the Grand Duke Cosimo I de ‘Medici, of the headquarters of the Order of the Knights of Santo Stefano. For centuries it has been the place of civic civil power, even if today it is above all a cultural and study place with the presence of the Scuola Normale di Pisa, housed in the Palazzo della Carovana.
Extraordinary example of Renaissance architecture designed by Giorgio Vasari who made it embellish with allegorical figures and zodiacal signs. Next door is the equally splendid Palazzo dell’Orologio, a medieval building in which the “Torre della Fame” was incorporated, where in 1289 Count Ugolino Della Gherardesca died with his sons and grandchildren, a story told by Dante in the Commedia. Today the tower belongs to the Normal School. The other buildings in the square are the Canonica, the Palazzo del Consiglio dei Dodici, the church of Santo Stefano and that of San Rocco. The Church of Santo Stefano was built by Giorgio Vasari whose inside there is the painting of Santo Stefano to which is added a Nativity of Christ of the Bronzino. In the center of the square there is the statue of Cosimo I in the role of Gran Master of the Order of Knights.
6 Borgo Stretto and Borgo largo
If you pass through the historic center of Pisa you will probably pass by Borgo Stretto, or “il Borgo”, as the Pisans call it. It is the most characteristic street in the center, with arcades, shops, coffee tables. Along the way you will encounter buildings dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries that made up the nucleus of ancient Pisa: here noble families and merchants competed to build the most beautiful, tall, colorful building. Of all that splendor we can still see a lot today.
From via delle Colonne, you can reach Piazza delle Vettovaglie, a centuries-old food market, originally Piazza de ‘Porci. Once the arcades of Borgo Stretto are finished, you arrive in Piazza del Pozzetto (Borgo Largo) but first stop to see the wooden tabernacle with a copy of the Madonna of the Nino Pisano coachmen inside.
7 The Mural of Keith Haring
In 1989, moving to Pisa, Keith Haring left the city an extraordinary work of art: it is the mural “Tuttomondo”, painted on the back side of the convent of the friars “Servants of Mary” of the church of St. Anthony.
The church is located a few meters from the station, in an urban context in which the artist knew how to express himself best. A few months later Haring would die and this mural is one of his last works. The idea had come to him in New York after a chance meeting with a Pisan student with whom he had spoken of world peace. The characters that animate the mural are 30, stuck like a puzzle, and each one represents an aspect of a world in peace: there are the “humanized” scissors that defeat the snake-evil that was devouring the head of the next figure. Then there is motherhood, represented by the woman with the baby in her arms, the nature with the two men holding the dolphin and so on. Haring used soft colors, as a form of respect for the beauty of Pisa. He worked there for a week, with the precise intention of making the work permanent, in fact he used the colors made specifically by the artisans of the Caparol Center, acrylic tempers that could keep the quality of the colors intact for a long time. After 20 years “Tuttomondo” is still there to remind us of the short and intense life of this extraordinary artist.
There are many things to see in Pisa and doing it with an organized tour is the most convenient and safe way to see the city at its best; with Dolcevitatour you can visit Pisa on a walking tour with a local guide.
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