Once one of Italy’s most powerful and prosperous maritime republics, Pisa boasts breathtaking medieval architecture and is surrounded by some of the nation’s most beautiful countryside. The charming and historic city in the Tuscany region is the birthplace of Galileo Galilei, sometimes called the “father of modern science”, as well as pioneering Middle Ages mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, and hosts one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The famous tower is only one of many marvels available for those booking cheap flights to Pisa. Indeed, the entirety of the city’s Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. The city also has more than 20 historic churches, numerous palaces, and other sites of interest spread across its downtown area.
Modern Pisa is a bustling university city, home to the University of Pisa, founded in the 14th century, and student population of over 50,000. Much of the city’s nightlife caters for and is supported by these students, who congregate particularly in the bars and clubs of the riverside Lungarno area or the streets surrounding Piazza Garibaldi.
Pisa has a warm Mediterranean climate, with warm and sunny summers and mild winters. July and August are typically the warmest and driest months, and December, January and February the coolest.
Pisa is fairly small, and most attractions are close enough to walk to. The local bus service, Compagnia Pisana Trasporti (CPT), runs between the airport, Piazza del Duomo, central station and elsewhere.
What is good to know if travelling to Pisa?- The Cathedral of Pisa is located near the Leaning Tower in the Cathedral Square, which is also known as the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles). Construction of the cathedral began in 1064 and it is a pre-eminent example of Pisan Romanesque architecture.
- The famed Leaning Tower in Piazza del Duomo isn’t Pisa’s only historic building at a slant: the bell towers of San Nicola Church and the Church of San Michele of Scalzi do not stand entirely upright either. Pisa’s most famous slanted tower leans due to its insufficient foundation as well as the weakness of subsoil beneath, and the San Michele tower owes its tilt to subsidence, whereas the base of San Nicola’s octagonal bell tower is actually located under the modern day streets.
- The Luminara of San Ranieri festival, dedicated to the city’s patron saint, should not be missed if visiting in June. Every year on the evening of the 16 June (San Ranieri’s Eve), riverside buildings are decorated with candles, whose glowing reflections flicker pleasantly on the surface of the Arno. The evening concludes with a midnight firework display over the citadel and nearby bridge.
- Pisa’s Botanical Gardens, belonging to the University of Pisa, is said to be one of the oldest of its kind in Europe. It was established in 1544 by Cosimo de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and is today open to the public, with free entry on weekday mornings.
- Pisa’s Romanesque Baptistery, dedicated to St John the Baptist, dates back to the 12th century and is the largest baptistery in Italy, with a circumference of a little over 107 metres. The building, made entirely from marble, is notable for its stunning Gothic ornamentation.