Pisa, the City of the Leaning Tower

In 180 BC, Pisa became a Roman colony known as Portus Pisanus (remember that it was originally a seaside town, the shore moved west due to the alluviums of the Arno and Serchio rivers); about one century later, it was converted into a municipium and Emperor Augustus changed the name to Julia Obsequens.

Pisa survived the fall of the Roman Empire and became the main trading center of the upper Tyrrhenian Sea; in the 11th century, it gained fame as one of the four main Italian Maritime Republics and underwent a period of expansion that lasted until 1284, when its fleet was dramatically defeated by the Genoese squadron at the Battle of Meloria. At the beginning of the 15th century, the city was occupied by the Florentines and after almost a century of sieges and battles (in the meantime, Livorno had become the major port of Tuscany) it definitively fell under the rule of Florence and followed the destiny of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

After suffering enormous damage during World War II, Pisa was gradually and patiently rebuilt and nowadays it is a quiet provincial university town, famous all over the world for its most visited and photographed landmark: the Leaning Bell Tower. Contrary to what you might read in many guide books, the Tower is unstable because it was erected on a clay soil affected by groundwaters, not because “something went wrong with the project”. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, Piazza dei Miracoli is recognized as one of the main centers for Medieval art in the world and besides the Leaning Tower, it houses Pisa's top three monuments: the Cathedral, the Baptistry and the Monumental Graveyard. Be sure to also pay a visit to Piazza dei Cavalieri (Knights' Square) rebuilt in the Renaissance style by Giorgio Vasari and home to the most important buildings of Grand Ducal Pisa: