Pisa, Italy
Pisa is a small pond with a couple of big fish: the Leaning Tower and the Pisa Cathedral, which along with the associated Baptistery of Saint John make up the Field of Miracles. This grass field and the venerable edifices filling it in make up the lion’s share of the attractions tourists will travel to Pisa to experience.
Pisa is a smaller town, quiet and more working class than the larger cities but still retaining that pleasant, Italian feel; even more so because there is more space to breathe and take in the normalcy of Italian life, outside of the main attractions and streets of a Rome or a Milan, which can be filled with the visiting hordes. That is not to say that Pisa must be boring or you should not visit, but the level of tourist value drops off to a pleasant but less notable level outside of the Field of Miracles.
Where to Go and What to Do in Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the star of the show, but is overshadowed in turn by the Cathedral, literally, as it stands alongside it and has a much smaller footprint, though it is taller. The Tower owes its fortuitous and famous bent to the weight of the tower and the relative softness of the earth on which it rests. Taking almost exactly 200 years to construct from its start to its finish in 1372, the tower was leaning well before construction was completed. Work done in the late 20th century corrected some of the lean, and made the tower safer and more secure. It is presently perfectly safe to ascend the tower and view the square and city from the top, for a fee of course. Last we checked the price was €27 for just the Tower, with various combinations of the Cathedral, Baptistery, and museums costing various other amounts. You can book ahead of time online here or in person.
Numerous churches, squares, and bridges grace the city, but without the depth of history or vaunted achievement of Renaissance masters to recommend them. Architecture and picturesque buildings adorn Pisa, but they are all overshadowed by the the Field of Miracles. Walk down the Via Santa Maria from the Piazza del Duomo to begin a proper tour of the city and see the rest of Pisa, but make sure to get away from the main roads a bit to get a real feel for the city.
The university of Pisa was founded in 1343 and is abbreviated UniPi, which is adorable. There are currently around 50,000 students enrolled at the university. In a town of only 90,000 people, the students are ubiquitous and create a fun and youthful atmosphere for visitors. There are young people everywhere you look, and many of the advertisements and shops cater to this demographic.
The Tuttomondo mural by Keith Haring is an interesting piece of art that has adorned the wall of the Sant’Antonio Abate church since 1989. The only piece the American graffiti artist created with the intent to last, the mural depicts thirty human-like figures in the throes of cooperation and unity.
How to Get to Pisa & How to Get Around
Most people are going to arrive by way of the Pisa Centrale train station and will walk along the Via Santa Maria to get to the tower. The street crosses the same River Arno that runs through Florence and is lined with the usual tourist shops and restaurants common to Italian tourist areas. You may consider stopping at the Pisa San Rossore train station instead, as the walk is shorter to reach the Field of Miracles. The station is smaller and has no facilities. If you are taking a day trip to visit the city or are just passing through we suggest utilizing the luggage storage services available at the Central Station or one of the Bounce locations in the city. We have used Bounce to schedule a luggage drop off and the service is excellent. It is like Airbnb for luggage, where established businesses offer short term holding of bags for a fee through the Bounce app.
The International Airport of Pisa is located on the southern edge of town but most tourists will not fly here. The airport will be mainly used by locals and other Italians for business, outgoing flights, and students and personnel from the University.
Driving into Pisa is easy enough and is the same as driving anywhere else in Italy. There are ZTLs here just as in Rome and Milan, which are areas of restricted access. If you have rented a vehicle to drive in Italy you are almost certainly not one of the few granted access to such a zone, and should avoid them lest you be ticketed by the camera system.
If you decide to stay in Pisa for one or more nights you will be spoiled for choice, and at prices much more reasonable than larger Italian metropolitan areas. There will be name brand and standalone hotels of various ratings as well as bed and breakfasts and Airbnb.
As for food in Pisa, the best place for that most delectable of Italian treats, gelato, is Grom. We love gelato and this chain serves a mean scoop. Or affogato, if you are also into espresso. The usual suspects of Tuscan wine and street pizza are present as well as the tourist trap restaurants on the main drag.