Visiting Pisa was a spontaneous decision during our stay in Florence, Italy. We had a free afternoon and a teenager who wanted to climb the Leaning Tower!
Everyone knows about the famous Leaning Tower (Torre) of Pisa, but we discovered so much more in this Tuscan city. Cathedral Square was built as a place of worship and is actually a quartet of buildings: The Duomo (Cathedral), the Battistero (Baptistery), the Camposanto (Cemetery) and the Torre Pendante or Campanile (the leaning Bell Tower).
These masterpieces are known the world over, and the Field of Miracles (a nickname given the square by the Italian writer Gabriele D’Annunzio) is a UNESCO World Heritage site. A lush, green lawn invites all to come and explore.
Our on-site Monograms Independent Travel associate gave us tips on purchasing train tickets to Pisa and taking a bus, or taxi, to Cathedral Square. Pisa is less than 50 miles from Florence and can easily be reached by train or car in about an hour. Don’t forget: On Italian trains, you have to “validate” your train ticket.
The Field of Miracles is on the northwestern edge of old town Pisa. There are two train stations in Pisa, so do your research. The day we visited, the station closest to the Field of Miracles was closed.
TIP: Look for “Torre” signs. No one in Pisa calls it the Leaning Tower.
What do you know about Pisa other than it has a leaning tower? Today, it’s a busy industrial and university town known for its architecture, medieval walls, and its art. It’s close to both the mountains and the sea. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the leading naval powers in the Mediterranean; Pisa was a dominant force from the 11th to the 13th centuries and many of their beautiful buildings date from that time period.
Because of its trade with Spain and North Africa, Pisa was not only wealthy, it became a cultural revolution and grew in strength to rival Genoa and Venice. Speaking of rivals, Pisa and Florence were almost always adversaries.
The Arno River
Pisa’s decline began in 1284 when it was defeated by Genoa. Although the Arno River still runs through the city, shifting silt caused its seaport harbor to dry up. The Auser River, which once flowed close to Cathedral Square, also dried up.
Florence occupied Pisa in 1406, and French armies also invaded in 1494. Pisa gained independence, survived a few wars and sieges, but Florence conquered Pisa again in 1509. In the mid-18th century, Pisa regained its land and began to rebuild and develop industries. However, it suffered its worse crisis in 1944 from Allied bombing during World War II.
Tickets, especially to the Leaning Tower, are available on-line for every day of the year, and you must have a reserved limited ticket and time slot, so book in advance of your visit. In 2011, we simply showed up and thankfully got five tickets for late afternoon (most likely not possible today).
Entrance times are every 30 minutes, and backpacks, bags or purses are NOT allowed for the Tower climb. Free storage lockers are available at the Ticket Office but only 15 minutes before your timed slot (you’ll need to show your ticket for storage). We were lucky to get tower tickets and had plenty of time to explore until our time slot. Be early and on time or you may risk being turned away! I vividly remember us running to the storage lockers and back to get in line.
TIP: Children under the age of 8 cannot climb the Tower. Children between 8 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and there is not a child discount. (By the way, our 16-year-old raced up the steps two at a time; I’m not sure I could say we fully accompanied her).
The Cathedral is free to visit if you show your Leaning Tower (or other monument ticket) for entry. The Baptistery and Cemetery require separate tickets for entry, but a combination ticket is an option for everything, including the museums. To see “just” the Cathedral, pick up a limited free pass at the Ticket Office.
Medieval Walls
Created to defend the Field of Miracles and any vulnerable parts of the city, Pisa’s medieval walls are among the oldest in Italy. Construction on them began in 1154 and lasted about a 150 years. Ancient walls were added as Pisa grew, and today the walls are almost completely preserved.
An ancient gate and walls in the cathedral complex. Notice the protective lion at the top, and for height comparison, there’s a girl sitting on the lawn leaning on the wall.
For added fun, the nearly 40-foot walls have been restored and are partly walkable today. A two-mile route winds through ramparts, towers, gardens, parks, and all four main city Pisa gates.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
The famous Bell Tower was intended to merely compliment the beautiful Duomo which was begun in 1064. Pisa’s navy was a Mediterranean Sea superpower, and the city wanted a prestigious cathedral to show off their wealthy “victory spoils” to the region. . . and the world. Pisa went so far as to claim itself as a “new Rome.”
The architect Buscheto created a new architectural style called Pisan-Romanesque which combined Byzantine, Eastern, and Lombard architecture for the first building in the Field of Miracles complex. And, guess what? Due to the sandy soil, the cathedral is also sinking.
Created from black and white marble, it was enlarged in 1118 making it the biggest cathedral in Europe for almost a century. A fire in 1595 severely damaged the inside of the cathedral.
The interior is mainly Renaissance, and the marble floors survived the fire. Cimabue created the Byzantine apse mosaic in 1302 (Christ in Majesty with the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist).
The 68 gigantic columns (brought from Sardinia when it was under the rule of Pisa) represent the number Pisa churches at the time when construction began.
An ancient proverb states, “all that glitters is not gold,” BUT THIS IS! The golden ceiling was added when the Medici dynasty from Florence ruled in the 16th century. The original wooden ceiling was destroyed by the fire.
A close-up of the Cathedral ceiling and frescoes. The Medici did not miss an opportunity to add their Coat of Arms and family crest.
Don’t miss the magnificent carved pulpit by Giovanni Pisano which shows scenes from the life of Christ (1302-11).
TIP: As mentioned in my Rome travel blog, strict dress code rules apply for churches in Italy. Males and females should cover shoulders and knees. No short shorts, mini-skirts, flip-flips or hats are permitted. This cathedral provided cover-ups for Sharon and Andrea.
The Baptistery of St. John
After the cathedral was finished, the whole town got involved in the construction of the circular Baptistery–which was personal for them. Construction began in the Romanesque style in 1153.
Because it took a century to complete it, as they ran out of money and fought a few wars, the upper level style is Gothic and was completed by father and son, Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
Dedicated to John the Baptist, it is the largest baptistery in Italy, it has perfect acoustics, and it was influenced from memories of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. It, too, is sinking! The main door faces the cathedral–symbolic because no one could enter the church without first being baptized and purified.
Climb to the upper gallery of the Baptistery for views inside and out. Every half hour an attendant sings so all can enjoy the flawless acoustics. Wow! Echoes reverberate around the building as it becomes a musical instrument.
Baptisms here were done by immersion in the Middle Ages. The octagonal font was large enough to hold the person(s) being baptized while the priest could stand, baptize, and stay dry in the four circular holes.
The Baptistery pulpit, carved by Nicola Pisano, is hexagonal and has scenes of the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation in the Temple, the Crucifixion, and the Last Judgment.
The view from the Baptistery upper level window provides a panorama of the Field of Miracles.
The Leaning Tower
The Romanesque leaning Torre is one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and is famous because it miraculously tilts without toppling over. It defies gravity!
In 1173, the bell tower’s construction began on the area’s sandy silt subsoil, but several military expeditions stopped construction along the way. Before the third story was completed in 1274, it started to tilt. Although a foundation problem was obvious, construction continued, and the bell tower was completed in 1350. The weight of the 7 bells added even more pressure.
In 1350, the structure leaned 4 feet, 6 inches from upright vertical. By 1817, the structure leaned 12 feet, 10 inches from vertical. And then in 1995, the structure leaned a whopping 17 feet, 6 inches from upright vertical and was at its limits. Needing an intervention, the tower was closed and stabilized by “decreasing the lean” and re-opened in December 2001.
It’s only fitting that the Pisan scientist Galileo Galilei visited the tower to inspect the “laws of gravity.” From the top, he conducted experiments on the velocity of falling objects. Also, while sitting in church (the cathedral) at the age of 19, Galilei discovered the Theory of Isochronism while observing the oscillation of a bronze chandelier. This was a prelude to his pioneering work on Dynamics and decisive stages in the history of physical sciences.
The Tower climb is unusual because it’s uphill, sideways and unbalanced. Although the one-way 296 spiraling steps (no elevator) are not the most I’ve climbed, the serious tilt makes it challenging in a humorous way. There’s also a spiral staircase for exiting the Tower.
The staircase is narrow, and the steps are worn with age. There’s no handrail. Before reaching the bells at the top, several levels allow you outside for a breath of fresh air. Stay close to the central walls if vertigo is a problem.
Although our tickets to climb the tower were late in the day, we received a “little extra gift” to be at the top at 5 pm when the bells rang! Oh my; it was loud!
The seven giant tower bells (some weigh up to 8,000 pounds) have not been rung “authentically” since the 20th century because vibrations might cause more leaning. The bells are all named, and each represents a musical note from the major scale: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti. Note: My musical husband says, “they just counted the white keys.” Today, electronic hammers operate the bells.
It is worth the climb for the views of Pisa at the top!
Looking down onto the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Cemetery
Views across Pisa
Nearby Arena Garibaldi is mostly used for football (soccer) matches and is the home of Pisa Sporting Club, founded in 1909.
The Cemetery
The monumental cemetery (Camposanto) is the fourth element in the Field of Miracles complex.
In the 13th century, two buildings were conceived and added at the request of Pisa’s archbishop on the sides of the cathedral lawn. On the south side, the New Hospital was built (which now includes the Sinopie Museum). On the north side, the cemetery was added: a 4-sided, covered, white marble cloister.
During the Crusades, Ubaldo de’ Lanfranchi, the Archbishop of Pisa, had a shipload of sacred soil added into this field from Calvary in Jerusalem. Therefore, he named this walled cemetery the Holy Field (Camp Santo).
The cemetery has three chapels and was also created to collect and organize the many stone coffins and tombs, which until then had been left scattered all around the Cathedral.
Between the 12th and 14th centuries, the walls were painted with an unbelievable 1.6 miles of frescoes: themes of life and death, the Old Testament, and the stories of Christ.
On July 27, 1944, a World War II allied raid bomb fragment started a fire in the Camposanto causing it to burn for three days. The timber lead roof collapsed, and all of the sculptures, artwork, and frescoes were damaged.
After World War II, restoration work began and continued until 2018. The frescoes were separated from the walls, painstakingly restored, and reinstallation began in 2005 as they were completed.
Beneath the frescoes, the preliminary drawings (called sinopie) were separated and also removed. Those preliminary and preparatory drawings are now on display in the Museum of the Sinopie, now part of the hospital, in the Cathedral Square. It’s an interesting way to see how frescoes were and are created. It’s also the only place in the world where so many Renaissance-era sinopia can be seen.
Other Pisa options
The Arno River, south of the Field of Miracles, is lined with palaces, churches, a great daily food market, museums and squares. A couple of spots worth visiting:
The National Museum of San Matteo is located on the banks of the Arno River. Housed in a medieval convent which also served as a prison, it covers the history of the city, and it has original sculptures and artwork from both the Duomo and the Baptistery. It’s known for its many painted wooden crosses, ancient manuscripts, relics, and masterpiece paintings from the 12th and 13th centuries.
Along the Arno riverbank: The Church of Santa Maria della Spina
The Santa Maria della Spina (1230) is a historical little Gothic church along the Arno River. Della Spina means “of the thorn.” The church was named for a thorn: part of the Crown of Thorns from Jesus’ crucifixion brought to this church in 1333 (now on display in Rome). In 1871, the church was dismantled and rebuilt on higher ground because of the many floods on the Arno River.
Guelph Tower, located on the northern side of the Arno River, is part of the old defensive Citadel complex (1290) and now a museum. It was completely destroyed in WWII by bombs but was restored in 1956. You can also climb the Guelph tower!
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One last thing to do in Pisa: don’t forget to make your iconic touristy, cliché or goofy, Leaning Tower of Pisa photo. It’s ok to have a little bit of fun and document memories of your trip!
Next up: After Florence and Pisa, our last Italian stop was in Venice, a magical floating city of lagoons and canals. Also, I’ve just returned from beautiful Greece, and a blog will be coming soon! Until then, keep exploring!
And, ciao for now!
Resources:
https://aaa.com (AAA Travel)
https://monograms.com (Monograms Independent Travel)
https://opapisa.it (Pisa tickets)
https://muradipisa.it (Walk the Walls and app)
https://traveltipsbytami.com
Tami Kooch