Tourist information: Pisa

The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the Cathedral.
Its construction began in the august of 1173 and continued (with two long interruptions) for about two hundred years, in full fidelity to the original project, whose architect is still uncertain.
In the past it was widely believed that the inclination of the Tower was part of the project ever since its beginning, but now we know
that it is not so.
The Tower was designed to be "vertical" (and even if it did not lean it would still be one of the most remarkable bell towers in Europe),
and started to incline during its construction.
Both because of its inclination, and its beauty, from 1173 up to the present the Tower has been the object of very special attention.
During its construction efforts were made to halt the incipient inclination through the use of special construction devices; later colums and other damaged parts were substituted in more than one occasion; today, interventions are being carried out within the sub-soil in order to significantly reduce the inclination and to make sure that Tower will have a long life.
In all this story it is possible to find a meaningful constant, the "genetic code" of the Tower: its continual interaction with the soil
on which it was built.
Today's (1999) works for the safeguard and the conservation of the Tower with very advanced methodologies are designed to fully
respect this constant.

Pisa is situated on the banks of the river Arno, on latitude 43o 43’ North and longitude 10o 23’ East in North-West Tuscany.
Just 80 km from Florence and 10 km from the sea, Pisa is a popular touristic centre.
This town is closely associated with the well-known Leaning Tower.
The climate, mild and temperate, because of the vicinity to the sea and the protection offered by the mountains behind Pisa, has given it a primary place in national and international tourism.
As the fulcrum of an area astride the provinces of Lucca and Livorno, its territory particularly suitable for farm-holidays, trekking, cycling, horse-riding, bird watching, golf, open-air and water sports, that can be practised on a fantastic coast with sand-beaches, perfectly equipped with bathing establishments, hotels and restaurants.
In the Regional Nature Park of Migliarino - San Rossore - Massaciuccoli extending for 23,000 hectares along the coast from Viareggio to Livorno, with tree groves and Mediterranean shrubs, encounters with deer, boars and the over two-hundred verities of migratory birds are frequent.
Pisa preserves, with the complex of Piazza dei Miracoli – cultural patrimony of all humanity – numerous masterpieces of civil and military architecture and of medieval history.
To this treasures can be added the Certosa of Pisa, at Calci (10 km from Pisa) and the Basilica of San Piero a Grado (5 Km from Pisa), obligatory stop for lovers of Romanesque art.
Pisa’s cultural and academic traditions boasts, besides the most ancient botanical garden in all of Europe, a prestigious athenaeum flanked by the Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari Sant’Anna and the Scuola Normale Superiore, unique in Italy and instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1813.
A city of art and history, Pisa commemorates its traditions during the month of June with numerous folklore and religious events, among which we draw attention to the Luminara, in occasion of the feast of the patron Saint (16 June), a suggestive decoration of the banks of the Arno River with wax candles, and the Palio di San Ranieri, a regatta with special boats through the historic parts of town.
On the last Sunday in June, at the end of procession composed of over seven hundred actors in historic costumes, the two opposite banks of the Arno, organised in two opposing factions of six teams each, face each other, pushing a heavy cart, and thus inaugurate the Game of the Bridge,
a re-evocation of an ancient tournament game.

Pisa Activities
On June 16th Pisa holds the Luminara festival, held for the patron saint's day (San Ranieri).
At sunset, all the lights along the Arno are dimmed and more than 10000 candles are lit, which makes for some spectacular sights
from the Ponte di Mezzo.
Various activities are organized in the streets and the night ends with a big fireworks.
Another summer attraction is the Gioco del Ponte (Game of Bridge), a historical manifestation held yearly on the last Sunday of June,
in which the two sides of the city (Tramontana and Mezzogiorno, geographically split by the Arno river) participate in a historical procession,
with 709 walk-ons, then challenge each other to a physical match in which their teams, each composed of 20 members,
try to conquer the "Ponte di Mezzo" (the main bridge in Pisa) by pushing a trolley in order to force the rival team off the bridge.
For nightlife, there aren't many clubs or live music places in Pisa: the usual night in Pisa is having a dinner of pizza or a cheap kebab, having a beer in Borgo Stretto, or Piazza delle Vettovaglie or a pub in the surrounding areas, and having a walk in Piazza Garibaldi and Lungarni, where the "spallette" (the low brick walls around the river) are full of students.
Some alternative clubs (hard rock, alternative, funky) in the center are:
Ex-Wide
Borderline
Take a photo of yourself holding, leaning against, or "anthropologically appropriating" the leaning tower of Pisa.

Airport

Pisa International Airport Galileo Galilei has domestic and international air links. Rome, Milan, Cagliari, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bruxelles, London Gatwick and Stanted, Madrid, Frankfurt Hahn, Munich and Paris Charles De Gaulle are some of the Italian and the European airports with direct flights to Pisa.
For detailed information of routes and timetables contact http://www.pisa-airport.com/homepage01bis.html
Pisa International Airport Galileo Galilei is very near to the city centre, only 2 km.
The terminal is directly connected to Pisa Railway Central Station and thence to the Italian railway network.
Direct railway lines connect the Airport to Florence, Pontedera, Empoli, Lucca, Pistoia and Montecatini.
At the Firenze Santa Maria Novella Railway Station you can check in for all flights departing from Pisa Airport.
The Florence Air Terminal is located on platform 5 in Firenze SMN Railway Station and is open every day from 7.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Railway network

Rome, Naples, Genoa, Nizza, Turin, Lione, Milan, Florence, Lucca, Aulla, Pistoia are some of the Italian and the European cities with
direct train services to Pisa.
For information contact phone nr. 848888088, for timetables visit the web site: www.trenitalia.com.
Local traffic is divided among Inter-Regional, Regional and Local services.

Road network

The road network comprises regional, provincial and state roads and motorways.
Regional, provincial and state roads have blue signs bearing white lettering, the motorways green signs bearing white lettering and numbers,
The backbone of the Italian motorway system is the Autostrada del Sole A1; off this branch, in Tuscany, the Autostrada Firenze Mare A11 motorway connect whit Pisa and Autostrada A12, motorway along the seaboard. For traffic info telephone CIS Viaggiare Informati at nr 1518 active 24 hours a day.