Tourist Places To Visit In Pisa

The fantastic city of Pisa in the Tuscany region of Italy is a great city to visit and spend time in. People usually stop by Pisa on the way to Florence to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. However, there are a lot more places to visit in Pisa that will appeal to the traveler in you. Even though it is one of the smallest cities in the country, Pisa has so much history and art that people flock here in all the season. Every structure in Pisa has ancient history to it, just waiting to be explored. If you have selected this destination to travel, you are in for a treat as the city has various ancient structures like cathedrals, piazzas, botanical gardens and the beautiful Arno River that runs across the city.

One of the most famous attractions of Pisa is the Leaning Tower of Pisa and is the reason for most people to visit this city. After the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was built, construction for the tower started in the 12th Century. Soon after the construction was in progress, the builders found that the foundation of the structure was unstable. It was from then onwards that the tower leans and precautions were taken to ensure that the structure would not collapse. The tower has six rows of stone arches that are erected beautifully and is absolutely fascinating.

Sometimes overshadowed by the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is a beautiful structure by itself. The construction of this structure started in the 11th Century and the style of architecture is truly ornate. The front façade of the cathedral has a series of stone and marble arches and three bronze doors. On the inside, the ceiling is covered with gold decoration, making the cathedral a masterpiece to visit.

Built to replace the old baptistery, the Pisa Baptistery was built around the same time as the Campanile. This Baptistery is 54 m high and the exterior of the structure etched with arches and statues. The dome of the roof is half complete; there are orange tiles on one side of the dome and the other side remains unfinished and has been like that ever since. The inside is decorated with Pisan-Gothic architecture. The inside of the structure has incredible acoustics and is often used as a concert hall.

One of the most prized museums in Pisa, the Museo Nazionale or the National Museum of Pisa has some stunning artifacts and sculptures. You can learn a lot about the history of the city by visiting this museum; there are original sculptures from different baptisteries and cathedrals and paintings that are ancient and date back to 12th and 13th Century. There are also a series of ancient religious relics and manuscripts from various cathedrals in Pisa.

Keith Haring, one of the most famous graphic artists is famous all over the world for his vibrant art. He was commissioned to create a signature mural after he had met with a student from Pisa in New York City. You can see his enormous beautiful mural on the south wall of the St. Anthony church and took up 180 square meters of the wall. The mural contains 30 figures in different colours. This mural was meant to promote peace in the world.

The last structure to be built in the Piazza, The Camposanto, is located in the northwestern part of the structure in the Piazza dei Miracoli. Camposanto is a cemetery and this structure is surrounded by 43 arches. The Camposanto also has a series of frescos etched on the walls in the interior that dates back to the 1300s, that were almost destroyed during World War I, but now being restored.

Situated on the left bank of River Arno, the church of Santa Maria della Spina is one of the smaller churches in Pisa and one of the most beautiful ones as well. This beautiful gothic church gets its name from the thorn (spina) from the crown of Christ that was brought to the land of Pisa. On one side of the church there are doorways and a small window while the other side has a series of arches and higher up a pedestal with figures of Christ. The structure contains a number of statues, some of them are copies from the original ones at the National Museum of Pisa.

One of the most prominent bridges in Pisa that runs over the Arno River is the Ponte di Mezzo. Constructed in 1947, this bridge is 89 m long; with white Verona stone lined on the sides of the bridge. If you are looking to get a good view of the Arno River in Pisa, this is the bridge you want to visit. The bridge connects Piazza Garibaldi in the northern part of the city to Piazza XX Settembre in the south of the city. Also, every year on the last Saturday of June, a historical play on the Ponte di Mezzo takes place and is absolutely beautiful to watch.