Pisa might be one of those cities in the world where you can always find plenty of visitors, especially in summer. We have already told you that we are not quite enthusiast about those highly touristic places, but we also think that if everyone wants to visit a city, it must be a good reason for it. Pisa is a common destination for student groups, but nor Dídac or me, at our age, had ever visited this Italian hotspot until last summer. Pisa entered into our plans when we saw cheap flights from Girona’s airport that perfectly suited some additional vacation days. And thus we decided to buy them and stay in Pisa for two nights before moving to Firenze. The first day was devoted to Pisa, the second one we had the opportunity to briefly explore the Tuscany region by car.

We booked our accommodation in Grand Hotel Duomo, a classical Italian hotel that offers a terrace with amazing views of the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles). It seemed that it had a reasonable price taking into account the location (immediately next to the square), the cruise season (we visited the city at the end of August) and that a continental breakfast was included. We imagine that many people stay in Pisa only for the day or half a day and thus do not sleep in the city, but in our opinion Pisa is also a nice place to enjoy with a quiet walk by the Arno river, far from the crowds.

The first time we saw the Piazza we had just arrived to the city centre and were carrying our luggage with us. A feeling of excitement and amazement got into my body and I thought: well, this place would still be magical even if the tower was not tilted. In fact, the square is considered a World Heritatge Site as from 1987. So many magnificent buildings appeared from the grass of that world-famous square, named by the writer and poet Gabriele d’Annunzio, who in 1910 described the square in this way: “The Ardea rotated over the sky of Christ, over the meadow of Miracles”. He couldn’t have summarized the charm of that location in a better manner.

We had booked our visit to the leaning tower (€18) on the afternoon (just to be sure we could do it at a suitable time) and we were hungry so we established in the hotel and later explored Via Santa Maria while looking for pizza. After lunch we got back to the Piazza and visited the Duomo (free entrance), built in the XI century in the Romanesque style, where we felt in love with the alternating layers of black and white marble.

It seems that the queen of all Italian cities is the Duomo, but we think that the real jewels of the Piazza dei Miracoli (apart from the tower, of course) are the Baptistery and the Camposanto (€7 both). The marble Baptistery is the second building, in chronological order, in the Piazza, and it was constructed in the transition from the Romanesque style to the Gothic one. Camposanto, in its turn, was the last building there. Initially the idea was to construct a church (and not a cemetery) around sacred dirt brought back from Golgotha during the Crusades. But plans changed and nowadays we can find a cloister surrounded by columns, frescoes and funerary monuments: the atmosphere is really impressive.

And, finally, the time to reach the top of the unintended leaning tower arrived. An inadequate foundation on ground (too soft on one side) has turned Pisa’s bell tower (the third oldest building in the Piazza) in an Italian emblem. We joined our group and after a brief explanation on the tilt of the tower we started to climb each of the almost 300 worn marble steps located inside the tower. From the top, the views were stunning.


After our visit to the leaning tower, it was time to explore what Pisa has to offer far from the touristic centre. We walked towards the Piazza dei Cavalieri, the political centre in medieval Pisa, and then reached Piazza delle Vettovaglie, where the local market takes place every morning. But I must confess that my obsession was in the opposite bank of the Arno river: the church of Santa Maria della Spina (“of the thorn”), erected around 1230 in the Pisan Gothic style and later enlarged. Its name comes from the presence of a thorn, allegedly part of the crown of thorns placed on Christ during his Passion and Crucifixion. The relic was brought to the church in 1333. In 1871 the church was dismantled and rebuilt on a higher level to solve the dangerous infiltration of water.

Thank you for this!! I always wondered if there would be more to explore #YourWeeklyPostcard
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Thanks for your comment! In fact the city has its own charm and a walk by the Arno is highly recommended!
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I went to Pisa years ago! When I went you weren’t allowed to climb up to the top. I would love to go back and do that climb! Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
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To climb those steps is a great experience and the views from the top are nice! You should go back. Thanks for your comment!
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I’m sad to admit that I’ve been twice and only for a few hours, long enough to see the tower. I would love to go back and explore more! That hotel view is amazing!! Noting that down NOW! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard! – Stumbled
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Our initial idea was to stay a few time but finally we decided to sleep 2 nights in Pisa and I think it was a good idea, although we spent the entire second day dirving around Tuscany. Thanks for your comment!
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I hope to be visiting Pisa soon, so it was great to read your thoughts. Beautiful photography.
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Thank you! You should visit Pisa soon 🙂
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Loved reading this post. I spent a year at university in Pisa and have very happy memories of the city. I lived right on the River Arno, it was amazing! #theweeklypostcard
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Oh! I would love to live there for a while! Pisa is a nice city and the region is amazing. Thanks for your comment.
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Have just discovered your blog from Wanderful Wednesday. Great post on Pisa, I love the view from the top. We have visited twice now as well and never climbed to the top 😦 It looks glorious from up there. Lorelle
https://amindfultravellerblog.wordpress.com/
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Yes! The views were incredible, not only of Pisa but also of the Carrara mountains that can be seen from the top. If you go there again we recommend you to pay for the climb to the top. Nice you have discovered us 🙂 Now we know about you too!
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yes, I agree, there’s more to Pisa:)
#wanderfulwednesday
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just a walk at 7am in the Piazza dei Miracoli without tourists deserves this trip. Thanks for your comment 🙂
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🙂 I know what you mean;)
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Looks lovely! I wish we had booked more than an afternoon in Pisa now!
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Thank you! You always can go back! 🙂
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This is such an interesting post as you are so right – we all just visit the tower! I was on a cruise so I had 2 hours in Pisa so snapped the photo and that was about it, I had no idea how much more there was to see. Next time, eh?!
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Hi! The difference between day and night is amazing. Early in the morning and when all tourist attractions are closed there was nobody in the street. Next time you should sleep there at least one night and just relax.
Thanks for your comment!
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I’d love to explore Pisa one day and it really is good to know that there’s more to the place than just the obvious 😉
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Yes, the city itself deserves a visit, not only the tower! Thans for your comment
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