Not just Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa

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The area between the Piazza dei Miracoli and the River Arno, bounded by the Via Santa Maria on the west and Borgo Stretto on the east, is a delightful place to explore. Much of this part of the city belongs to the university and its beautiful buildings dominate the southern end of the Via Santa Maria and neighbouring streets, interspersed with the typical shops of an academic town – bookshops, copy shops, stationery. The whole of this street is charming, and it winds seductively, luring you on to see what might be just round the next bend (it was designed deliberately for this effect). Just east of the Via Santa Maria, at its southern end, lies Piazza Dante, a focal point for student life and with several inexpensive bars and restaurants and a shady green space at its centre. Further east still lies the medieval heart of Pisa, where you will find a bustling vegetable market in the Piazza Vettovaglie, surrounded by buildings that date back to the Middle Ages, with a pretty 16th century arched colonnade on their ground floor. In the surrounding streets and alleyways you can still find many examples of the characteristic medieval tower-houses, built tall and thin to make the most of valuable space in the ancient city.

So grab your camera and spend a few hours at least of your visit to Pisa wandering away from that Tower to see what else the city has to offer – you won’t be disappointed!

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Of course, the highlight in Pisa is the Campo dei Miracoli with the Duomo, Baptristry and Leaning Tower, but Pisa has much more to offer than the Square of Miracles, so if you are planning a visit be sure to reserve a few hours for the other sights.
Since most tourists do not want to really go more far away from the leaning tower, for this reason Pisa is the single city in Tuscany, which remained really in its original state.

Piazza dei Cavalieri was the center of politics of the Pisan Republic. On the huge square among others two large buildings - Palazzo dei Cavalieri, once the knights' military training quarters, Palazzo dell' Orologio - and a church - National Church of Saint Stephen of the Knights - can be admired.

Palazzo dell' Orologio having been used as jail in the times past, has a creepy story from the 13th century. A count of Pisa being condemned to death by starvation together with his sons has eaten one of his children while in that prison. (Good appetite!!)
Nowadays, the square is also internationally known for the Scuola Normale di Pisa located in Palazzo dei Cavalieri.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina in the near of Ponte Solferino is a picturesque little chapel on the train station-side of the Arno River before crossing over to see the Leaning Tower. A thorn from Christ's Crown of Thorns is preserved here.

Each June Pisa honours its patron saint - San Ranieri - with a great regatta and a night-time Luminara along both banks of the River Arno. Historic buildings are romantically lit with candles or burning torches creating a fantastical fairyland, enhanced by a parade of antique boats with costumed crews.
The regatta takes place on the next day contested by teams from the four quarters of the city. The boats are manned by eight oarsmen, one steersman and an additional man who, upon arrival at the finish line must climb a 8 meters long rope on large boat anchored in the middle of the Arno, in order to grab the flag of victory.

Every four years in June Pisa hosts the Marine Republic Regatta against Venice, Genoa and Amalfi. In 2009 Pisa will be the host. It is an important event for the Pisans, and not only a show put on for tourists, but a centuries-old event taken quite seriously by the participants.

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The side streets are the adventure of going to Pisa. Some are quite, while others are bustling with people, like close to the University of Pisa. They students are actively going about daily lives while trekking around the streets going someplace. Walking along the Arno is a fabulous venture. There are so many things to see along the way, and it takes awhile to let it all sink in. Every nook has some different retail or every day wonder to behold.

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The City Sightseeing open bus tour starts at Via Carlo Cammeo next to the leaning tower itself. The tour lasts 50 minutes and when boarding you are given a small earpiece which you can plug in next to your seat. This gives you a multi-lingual commentary as the tour progresses.

10am till 6pm and runs every hour

Adult 15 Euros (2007)
Child 7 Euros (2007)

The Piazza dei Miracoli indisputably has the highest concentration of attractions in the city, but the rest of Pisa has a number of hidden gems. Venture five minutes away from the main sights and you're rewarded with a totally untouristy town, full of winding medieval streets, attractive squares and not a plastic leaning tower in sight. Just a few minutes' walk from the cathedral is the elegant Piazza dei Cavalieri, its north side flanked by the grey and white graffito façade of a 16th-century palazzo, now part of the university. On its left is the clocktower where Count Ugolino della Gherardesca was left to die with his children and nephews, as recounted in Dante's Divine Comedy. The church on the other side is the Church of the Knights of St Stephen (admission: EUR1.50), an order founded to defend Christianity against attacks by the Turks.

On the south side of the Arno next to Ponte Solferino is the Church of St Mary of the Thorn (admission: EUR1.10), perched precariously right at the edge of the river. The name originates from the merchant who rebuilt the church in the 14th century who claimed to have obtained a thorn from the crown of thorns that Christ wore on the cross. The spiked turrets on the church roof commemorate the relic. Just upriver, the Ponte di Mezzo, Pisa's oldest bridge, is at the centre of festivities in June when the whole city turns out for the Gioco del Ponte, a traditional fight between the northern and southern districts of the town in which locals in Renaissance costume re-enact a battle for possession of the bridge.

Fans of Modern Art might like to wander down towards the railway station, where Keith Haring's last mural can be found just off Piazza Vittorio Emanuele (by the bus station). Painted in 1989 just a few months before the American artist's death, the work, entitled "Tuttomondo", is a colourful depiction of giant human figures, brightening up an otherwise rather desolate corner of the town.

Knight's square (Piazza dei Cavalieri), where the Palazzo della Carovana, with its impressive facade designed by Giorgio Vasari may be seen.

Also close to the square is the small church of St. Sixtus. It is today one of the best preserved early romanesque buildings in town.

The small church of Santa Maria della Spina, is an excellent Gothic building.

The Borgo Stretto, a neighborhood where one can stroll beneath medieval arcades and the Lungarno, the avenues along the river Arno.

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The town of Pisa was founded by Ibero - Ligurians and so named because it is situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Arno and the Serchio. The name thus signifies meadowland or delta and is probably of Greek origin. Pisa is Europe's most ancient maritime city, which goes back through the millennia.
Under Roman rule the city prospered, embelished with temples and palaces. During that period, emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius resided in the town. Unfortunatelly, not much remains from Roman times have left in Pisa, this baths are the most significant monument from that time.

This is a way to see the old palaces and churches from an unusual and privileged point of view. It is something you should not miss in Pisa.
With the boat, you will navigate along the river while the guide explains the history of the surrounding buildings.
The tour lasts one hour, and you get off the boat at the same place where you take it.