Pisa's old town

The lively old town's beautiful squares, churches and palaces are situated between the Piazza dei Miracoli and the Arno, which divides Pisa in two halves.

The street Santa Maria connects the famous Piazza dei Miracoli with Pisa's old town. Numerous mediaeval palaces and towers line the winding Via Santa Maria.

The Piazza dei Cavalieri, the only secular square in Pisa, is not far from here.

Piazza dei Cavalieri

Representative buildings surround the Knight's Square, which was deemed to be the centre of the republic city during the Middle Ages. Even the Medici demonstrated their military and administrative power here.

The end of Pisa's independence was sealed here in 1406, when the key to the city was given to the General of the rival Florence.

Palazzo dei Cavalieri

As a master of his time, the architect Giorgio Vasari was assigned to redesign the Piazza. In 1560 Vasari renovated the formerly oldest palace into the monumental Palazzo dei Cavalieri, also named the Palazzo della Carovana, at the request of the Medici.

The Knight's Palace, with its curvaceous, graffiti covered facade now houses an elite university. Statues line the great staircase, which leads to the Scuola Normale, which was founded by Napoleon.

Church Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri

The Renaissance church Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, complete with an elegant facade, was built by Vasari in 1567.

The interior of the sacred building is decorated with a wonderfully painted wooden ceiling, a Baroque altar and trophies that the Saracens seized in the Arabian area.

Palazzo dell'Orologio

The so-called clock palace with its large archway on the Piazza dei Cavalieri can be traced back to Vasati. He connected both towers, the Torre delle Sette Vie, one of the city's prisons, with the Torre della Fame, the so-called hunger tower.

The tower became famous because the city's leader Duke Ugolino della Gherardesca was accused of treason in 1288 and locked in there with his children and is said to have starved to death. Dante wrote a memorial to the duke in his "Inferno".

The shopping mile Borgo Stretto

Arcades and elegant shops with all sorts of delicacies can be found on the impressive and inviting Borgo Stretto, the old town's shopping mile. Pisa's main shopping street is definitely worth visiting.

An attractive quarter with small lanes and passageways connects to the Borgo Stretto from the west.

Robust squares and lanes

Here things happen in typical Italian style. On weekdays, a busy vegetable market is held; countless butcher's can be found in the area. The lively market quarter stretches all the way to the banks of the Arno. Cosy squares, bars and trattorias invite visitors to relax and pass a few hours.

Magnificent Palazzi by the Arno

The Borgo Stretto stretches over the central Piazza Garibaldi by the Arno, along to the Ponte di Mezzo.

The historical spectacle Il Gioco del Ponte is on the oldest bridge each year.

It offers an impressive view along the banks of the Arno with its many palaces and representative buildings.

For thousands of years, the promenade along the river formed an important point in the city. The most influential families resided here in their palaces.

Pisa's Botanic Gardens

The lush Orto Botanico in Pisa is over 450 years old and is said to be one of the oldest in the world. It was founded by Cosimo I. as the university garden Horti Medici near the Piazza dei Miracoli, to enable studies on the healing properties of plants.

Experiments are still conducted in the vast gardens, which are home to many exotic plants and botanic rarities. The gardens are open to visitors.

National Museum San Matteo

The Museo di San Matteo in the eastern part of the old town brings famous works from churches and religious establishments in and around Pisa together. Countless paintings and magnificent crucifixes, which demonstrate the development of Italian art, can be found in this former Benedictine monastery.

A collection of sculptures of many important Tuscan artists, as well as works of some of the most famous Italian artists such as Donatello or Ghirlandaio are the centre of attention in the National Museum.

Pisa - City of churches

Numerous churches illustrate the former financial power of the world power Pisa. Each one has its own unique architectural or artistic feature.

For example, the church Santa Anna has an important crucifix, the Romantic Santa Catrina has famous sculptures and paintings, San Francesco is decorated with frescos, San Matteo with rich Baroque decorations, San Nicola with another of the city's slanting towers and San Sisto, which is a reminder of the Pisan Fleet of 1097.

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