The guide to Pisa

Few towns in the world can boast of a past as splendid as the one of Pisa. In the course of more than ten centuries, its citizens have left a permanent mark on the history and the art of western civilization . The history of Pisa is marked by an impressive series of successes: the early fights against the Sarassins established Pisa's dominant position in the Mediterranean; the active participation in the Crusades led to a great expansion of the marittime trade and opened Pisa to the culture of the Moslem world ; the foundation of a powerful Republic and of one of the oldest European Universities where the famous scientist Galileo Galilei was a student and later a professor. All these important events have had a great influence on Italian and European history and give Pisa, a town which is still "‡ mesure d'homme" the right to be considered one of the capitals of the western world.

	The Piazza dei Miracoli The Cathedral Square is the heart of Pisa and the immortal symbol of the splendour and the power of the golden age of the Republic of Pisa. With its world famous monuments, the square can well claim to be the symbol of Italian art: it certainly is one of the best known and admired sights in the whole world....
	One thousand years of history Few towns in the world can boast of a past as splendid as the one of Pisa. In the course of more than ten centuries, its citizens have left a permanent mark on the history and the art of western civilization...
	Art From Pisa you can see, when the sky is clear, the imposing chain of the Alpi Apuane and the world famous marble quarries of Carrara. From these quarries comes the white stone with which the buildings of Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral square) were built....
	A town both big and small Pisa has often been described as a radiant city, a serene and horizontal town without any of those sharp contrasts which characterize many medieval Tuscan and Italian towns. What strikes you most in Pisa are the wide spaces , the brightness of the sun in summer, the placid flow of the river Arno ...