Pisa

Pisa: Past the Tower

Most people give Pisa three hours. They arrive from Florence by regional train (one hour, EUR 8-9), photograph the leaning tower, and leave. This is fine. Pisa is small enough that the Piazza dei Miracoli complex is genuinely the main event, and if you cover it properly that is your afternoon done.

The Piazza dei Miracoli

The piazza contains four distinct structures: the Cathedral (Duomo), the Baptistery, the Tower, and the Camposanto cemetery. The combination ticket for all four sites costs EUR 27. The Tower requires a separate timed ticket (EUR 20) for the climb, with slots every 30 minutes. Book this online at least several days in advance in summer; on-site slots sell out by mid-morning.

The Tower is 56 metres tall, leans 3.97 degrees from vertical (it was stabilised between 1990 and 2001 to prevent it toppling; the lean was previously 5.5 degrees), and has 294 steps to the summit. The view from the top is principally of the piazza below and the Arno plain; the interest is in the tilt, which you feel on the stairs and in the slight disorientation on the upper terrace. Galileo is said to have dropped cannonballs from here to demonstrate equal acceleration - probably apocryphal, but the story has outlasted the uncertainty.

The Cathedral is architecturally the more sophisticated building, with a Romanesque facade completed in 1092 and a bronze door by Bonanno Pisano. The interior contains Giovanni Pisano’s pulpit, which is among the finest pieces of medieval sculpture in Italy. Most visitors spend 10 minutes inside; 40 is more appropriate.

The Baptistery has exceptional acoustics - a guide or willing visitor will demonstrate the resonance by singing a single sustained note that fills the circular space with harmonic overtones. The effect is arresting.

The Camposanto (Campo Santo, holy field) is a cemetery cloister built around soil supposedly brought from Golgotha. Its medieval frescoes were severely damaged by Allied bombing in 1944 when the lead roof melted and fused with the paintings; the surviving fragments and sinopie (preparatory drawings) are displayed in the adjacent museum.

Beyond the piazza

Pisa has a university of about 50,000 students and a city centre that functions for residents rather than for tourists. The main Corso Italia shopping street and the Borgo Stretto arcade are lively in the evening. The Arno embankment is pleasant for walking. The Piazza dei Cavalieri is a 10-minute walk from the Tower and contains the Palazzo della Carovana, designed by Vasari in 1562 and now part of the Scuola Normale Superiore, one of Italy’s top universities. No tourists; just students on bikes.

For eating, avoid the restaurants immediately adjacent to the Tower, which charge EUR 20+ for basic pasta. The streets north of the Arno around Via Sant’Antonio have cheaper trattorias: Il Campano on Via Cavour does a two-course lunch for EUR 15-18 with wine.

Staying in Pisa

Most visitors do not stay overnight, and logistically this makes sense given the proximity of Florence (1 hour), Lucca (30 minutes), and the Cinque Terre coastal trains. If you do stay, Hotel Bologna on Via Mazzini has clean rooms from EUR 80-120 per night and is well located for the station. The Royal Victoria Hotel on the Arno embankment is the historic option from 1839 - atmospheric, slightly worn, competitively priced at EUR 90-130.

Pisa airport (Galileo Galilei) is 3km from the city centre and serves a wide range of European destinations. The People Mover rail link connects the airport to the main Pisa Centrale station in 5 minutes for EUR 2.70.