Pisa lies on the banks of the Arno River, about 10 km east from its mouth to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The city is surrounded by the Livornesi hills, slopes of the Apuane Alps and lake Massaciuccoli.
Pisa was one of the most important Italian republic, whose political influence was visible throughout the Mediterranean. In 1284 Pisa was defeated by the rival of Genoa and since then it was in decline.
The centre of interest is the Piazza dei Maracoli, where you can find four most important monuments. All sights are made of white marble and looks very romantic.
The symbol of the city is certainly leaning tower of Pisa (Torre pendente di Pisa), which construction began in 1173. The tower started to tilt even before it was completed – in 1274 when the third floor was built. Despite having only a three-meter foundation, it was decided that it will be completed. The tower was completed in 1350, but the tilt of the tower was constantly growing. Today deviation reaches 5.5 meters. In the past, some reconstruction works have been done to strengthen the foundations and the tower is now once again open to the public even if the number of visitors is limited. Admission to the tower is 17 €.
The oldest monument in the square is the Pisa Cathedral built between 1093 and 1118 in the Pisan Romanesque style.
The third important monument standing in the square is a circular Romanesque Baptistery, which construction began in 1152. For lack of funds, the construction lasted for more than a hundred years and the interior was completed in the Gothic style.
The fourth monument in the square is the Camposanto Monumentale – the cemetery built from 1277.
Around the square there is a number of shops with souvenirs and through Via Roma you can get to other parts of the city. Pisa is very romantic place also during the night, it is full of life. However most visitors are coming here only because of the mentioned square and only for few hours, I would really recommend you to stay here for the night and walk around the city. By doing this you enjoy something different than the majority of other visitors.
Pisa is one of the most beautiful Renaissance cities in Tuscany, Italy. Getting to Pisa is easy: airport Galileo Galilei operates the flights from a large number of European cities. Getting to Pisa from the USA is possible when flying first to Florence, Tuscany capital. Pisa is also connected almost with all big cities in Italy with a train network.