Pisa tourist information
The settling of the Pisa area and the city’s greatness during the free commune period are chiefly due to an especially favourable geographic position. Located on the River Arno, a short distance from the coast, Pisa was open to Mediterranean trade and to relations with the Tuscan hinterland. In 1064 the Pisans began building the cathedral. The construction of the baptistery and the bell tower at the end of the 12th century and of the hospital and monumental cemetery in the mid-13th century completed the square’s ambitious architectural plan. In that period the city of Pisa distinguished itself by an outstanding artistic production, both qualitatively and itself by an outstanding artistic production, both qualitatively and quantitatively. A great cultural school formed which had its foundation stones in Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
Visitors are still fascinated by the charming view that the poet Giacomo Leopardi caught of Pisa: “These riversides make such a magnificent, enchanting and delightful spectacle … A beautiful sun shines … in the glass windows of the houses and palaces, all of fine architecture. As to the rest, Pisa is a mixture of a large city and a small town, of urban and rural features, a romantic blend which I had never seen before”.
Present-day Pisa is a university, research and service centre served by an international airport. Pisa University – one of the first in Europe (1343) – is in the van in many fields of scientific research. The vitality of Pisa’s culture testifies to the modernity of an ancient city.
Pisa weather forecast
