“Better a death in the family than a Pisan architect at your door”. A proverb that the inhabitants of the city of Lucca claim in clear reference to the leaning tower of its neighbor Pisa. To which the locals respond: “May God grant you your wish”.
Beyond the local battles of idiosyncrasies and jealousy, yes visiting Pisa is reduced to just thirty minutes of balance to achieve the social media photo Holding the tower in your hand, you are missing the maximum expression of the ancient Maritime Republic and some stories that cannot be more original.
Digging through the locals is like opening a Pandora’s box. Behind a door just like all the others on the block hides the story of a string of lucky encounters. Right in front of the Piazza de San Francisco, a dry rectangle whose silence expands the echo of the steps and the voices, and the parish. There a private garden and a gallery protect from heat and cold at the time of the outdoor liturgy.
Beyond the latticed gate of the Fibonacci school. Just crossing the street the story opens. A traditional church that faces the lungs of the block, just a 10-minute walk from the center of Pisa, went through economic difficulties. He needed to make a budget and decided to sell a space dedicated to choral theater intended for the children of the community and linked to its cloister, right next door to a book-loving Milanese biologist.
Mónica Santerini and her family bought the space, preserved part of the structure and the garden that still links them to the church today, and gave life to a B&B called di Camilla.
Today, the small door mounted on a step opens to a hall that winds directly to what was the Church’s garden. An open-air hallway illuminated at night and sunny during the day generates expectation until the meeting of what was the old theater converted into a small family hotel in the historic heart of Pisa. A sophisticated staging keeps the cross of the Church there in front.
Shortly after, his neighbor, and owner of a library of more than 3,000 volumes, fell ill. He sold them his share of the land and donated his supply of books so that “its pages would continue to be read.”
Hoy They are part of the architectural structure and design of the place: they fill the chimneys, hold the doors open, climb the stairs and look away at the landing of the stairs. The place is like a movie.
A tilted city
All the attractions of Pisa submit to its crooked tower.
In truth it is the bell tower of a complex completed by the cathedral and the baptistery (the largest in the world). It took them 200 years to finish it. When they were going through the third level they already noticed its inclination (3.9 degrees from vertical).
The deviation originated in the soft ground in the foundation. Alessandro della Gerardesca (who named the square, today known as dei Miracoli), and later Benito Mussolini attempted to correct the inclination, only succeeding make it worse.
After an international call in 1964, recently in 2001 some stability was achieved.
The attractiveness of the architectural ensemble remains overwhelming. In fact, the American forces during World War II aimed to demolish it because they had information about Germans sheltering in it, however, when they reached the city, its beauty outweighed the battle and it survived.
Sticking with the standard photo from the ground floor is not a good idea.
climb the tower (from 21,000 pesos, depending on the route chosen) allows you to see the entire city in a shocking view. Nearby, almost touching it with your hand, is the local club’s soccer stadium. Beyond the river, the hills and the hamlets.
What to see in Pisa, besides its tower
But Pisa is much more. It is one of the most cheerful cities in northern Italy thanks to its strong university imprint.
He study center was founded in 1343 and the higher school was opened by Napoleon in 1810.
Some scholars suggest that it had Greek origin, others claim that it was Etruscan. It occupied a key place during the crusades, which turned it into a Maritime Republic until late in the 1200s, when Genoa took over. After 200 years of passing hands between different aristocratic families, it was annexed to the kingdom of Florence thanks to the vision of the Medici.
One of the must-see sights there is the Botanical Garden. It was founded in 1543 by Luca Ghini, a naturalist and doctor. He became the first university student in the world. It has species from all five continents.
A perfect route along the banks of the Arno (the same one that crosses Florence) is the Viale delle Piaggea tree lined street on the right bank that starts from the Bocchette Bridge and arrives at of Victory. There it is possible to walk or cycle on the accompanying bike path.
The adjacent urban park is one of the richest lungs of the city.
He Lumière cinema, opened in December 1905 with the name of “Primary Cinematographo Lumière”, is one of the oldest in the world in operation as such since then.
The original location was in a billiard room in the Caffè dell’Ussero of Palazzo Agostini, but later the entrance was modified and moved to the back of the Palace, in the Vicolo dei Tidi passage, from where it can be accessed today. The palazzo that houses it, also known as Rosso, is one of the most beautiful palaces in the citywhich belongs to the family of the counts Agostini Fantini Venerosi della Seta. Today it is also one of the most famous concert halls in Italy.
own Caffè dell’Ussero, dating back to 1775has always been the meeting point of the most famous figures of Tuscan culture.
In the surrounding area, the San Francisco neighborhood brings together several of the most beautiful churches in the citysuch as Santa Caterina or San Paolo all’Orto.
A visit to the Romanesque ones is essential. Saint Cecilia and Saint Matthew, In the latter is the National Museum with works from the 12th and 13th centuries, including the relic bust of San Lussorio made by Donatello.
The Torre dei Gualandi or Torre della Muda It is part of an old medieval tower that was incorporated into the Palazzo dell Orologio, home of the secondary school library in the Knights’ Square. He has gained fame thanks to Dante Alighieri who used the site as a setting in a passage of the Divine Comedywhen Count Ugolino della Gherardesca and his family are locked up until they starve to death.
Inside, some of the original walls of the Tower.
Another finding is the Sapienza Palace, one of the most prestigious university centers of the country.
Formerly known as Santa María del Puente Nuevo, today della Spina, is the church that preserved one of the thorns of Jesus’ crown. Was founded in 1230. The architects reproduced the facades of the cathedrals of Siena and Orvieto and certain designs of sepulchral monuments. On the left wall is a tabernacle that contained the relic of the thorn, now in the Church of Santa Clara. Due to the swampy terrain in which it was located, it was restructured several times, until it was decided to demolish it in the 19th century and rebuild it on an elevated structure.
Nearby, on the edge of the Ponte di Mezzo, the neighborhoods of San Martino and San Antonio. Here you will find the octagonal church of the Holy Sepulcher and that of San Martino, full of works of art.
Las Shopping can also be an attraction.
The classic fruit and vegetable market opens daily until 1 pm in Piazza delle Vettovaglie.
The surrounding area, near the Ponte di Mezzo, is located traditional taverns serving typical local and Tuscan dishes.
Corso Italia and the labyrinths under Borgo Stretto offer shops for all tastes.
On the coast, 20 minutes by car from the city center or 45 by public transport, is the Marina of Pisacon beach, spas and restaurants specializing in fish.
Halfway there is the Basilica of San Piero a Grado, where according to tradition Saint Peter landed during his trip to Rome, when the coast was much further into the continent.
What to eat
The Pergola It is a restaurant led by Emma Forte and Daniela Petraglia. For more than 50 years, sheltered steps from the Verdi Theater, it has offered traditional Tuscan cuisine and, in particular, Pisana, served under a century-old pergola.
What to try during the trip? The panzanellaa salad based on simple hard bread, soaked with a little water, tomato, onion and fresh basil. While the spaghetti alla Carrettiera It is a simple pasta dish with garlic, red chili, olive oil, pecorino cheese (typical of the region) and breadcrumbs.