Pisa on the Arno River

Pisa is a wonderful city in the Tuscany region in central Italy. It has a lovely position right by the Arno River. This city is best known for its leaning tower and lots of tourists come just to see it. However, Pisa offers many impressive and beautiful things to see and delight in. So come for the tower but stay to see all that this city has to offer – Gothic churches, Romanesque buildings, and Renaissance piazzas.

The most well-known sight is the Torre Pendente or Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower leans at an amazing 3.9 degrees off the vertical and is 56m high. It took practically 200 years to build its bell tower. The tilt is caused by a layer of weak subsoil. The building of the tower began in 1173 with architect Bonanno Pisano. He abandoned this project when after the third tier was built, it started leaning. The tower was finally completed in the second half of the 14th century. Over the next 600 years, the tower continued tilting at an estimated 1mm per year. The tower has steel braces around the third story and is joined to neighboring buildings by steel cables. Today 40 people can get into the Leaning Tower at one time, children under eight are not allowed in and children from the age of eight to twelve must hold on to the hand of an adult. Each visit lasts for thirty minutes and there is a steep climb up some 300 steps that at times are slippery. The only thing that can be taken up is a camera.

Pisa has a most unusual round Pisa Baptistry that has one dome atop of another and each is roofed half in lead, half in tiles, and topped by a gilt bronze John the Baptist – 1395. Construction was begun in 1152 and was finally completed in the 14th century. Inside the highlight is the hexagonal marble pulpit created by Nicola Pisano in 1260. The lower level of arcades is Pisan-Romanesque and the pinnacled upper section and dome are Gothic. Pisan scientist Galileo Galilei was baptized in the octagonal font. Visitors can climb up to the Upper Gallery and listen to the custodian demonstrate the double dome’s acoustics and echo effects every half-hour on the hour.

Pisa has one of the most beautiful urban spaces in the world, Campo dei Miracoli. Its lovely walled lawns provide a wonderful setting for the Cathedral, Baptistry, and Tower. The centerpiece is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta with a most graceful tiered facade and a cavernous interior. The transept’s bronze doors were done by Bonanno Pisano and the 16th century entrance doors by Giambologna. Toward the west is the cupcake-like Baptistry that has a lovely pulpit. Of course, the Leaning Tower gets the most attention.

Pisa artist Keith Haring was commissioned in 1989 to paint a mural on the rear wall of Sant'Antionio Abate Church. The artwork is called Tuttomondo “All the World” and it is one of the largest murals in Europe. The mural is also one of the only few outdoor artworks created by the artist for permanent public display. It depicts thirty figures in bright colors who seem to tumble across the wall. You see women, men, children, a dolphin, a bat, and other animals.

The beautiful Camposanto Cemetery flanks the Campo. It is said that this cemetery contains soil shipped from Calvary during the Crusades. Of special interest is the 14th-century fresco – The Triumph of Death – on the southern cloister wall. Inside its marvelous white walls is the final resting place of prominent Pisans, arranged around a garden in a cloistered quadrangle. Many frescoes were destroyed during WWII and those that were salvaged are on display in the Frescoes Room.

Head for the Museo Nationale di San Matteo to see a wonderful display of medieval masterpieces. The museum is housed in a 13th-century Benedictine convent on the Arno’s northern waterfront boulevard. Here you can delight in a collection of paintings from the Tuscan School (12th to 14th centuries). There is also an amazing collection of 14th and 15th-centuries Pisan sculptures.

You won’t feel blue seeing Palazzo Blu. This is a wonderfully restored 14th-century building with a dusty-blue facade. Inside is impressive 19th-century interior decor and the Foundation CariPisa’s art collection highlighted by Pisan artworks from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

The Arsenals were built between 1548 and 1588 by Grand Duke Cosimo I de Medici. The large arcaded sheds were used to build long galleys and warships that were launched directly into the Arno River. They were built inside the Cittadella but only the San'Agnese Tower is still intact. The Guelfa Tower offers amazing views of Pisa and the Arno.

The Church of Santa Maria della Spina sits on the left bank of the Arno. It is the best-known of the smaller churches.

Take a walk along Borgo Stretto lined by 14th and 15th-century buildings. There are small shops, name-brand stores, cafes, and sidewalk vendors.

Orto Botanico dell'Universita di Pisa was the first universtiy botanical garden in Europe. You can see amazing plants both outdoors and indoors, rare trees, water gardens, and beautiful greenhouses.

Relax at the beach the Arno River flows into the Mediterranean Sea just to the west of central Pisa, and from the port south to Tirrenia, the coast is lined with many sandy beaches.