The historic Tuscan town of Pisa in Italy is world famous for its leaning tower, but it has far more architectural, religious and artistic treasures within its historic boundary. Pisa is on the bank of the River Arno, where it meets the Ligurian Sea. The city has 87,500 residents but its number swell daily with thousands of international visitors. The city also has a large university which dates back to the 12^thcentury.
Pisa enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate with mild winters rarely dropping below 10C (51F), and hot summers with average temperatures of 29C (84F).
The main sights are in Pisa’s Piazza del Duomo where the Cathedral stands, along with the Baptistery and the monumental cemetery. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually the freestanding bell tower of the cathedral. Constructed in 1173, the subsidence left the tower leaning more than 12 feet from the perpendicular. Visitors can ascend the tower and experience this miracle of engineering for themselves!
Other interesting attractions in Pisa are the Palazzo della Carovana on Knight’s Square and the nearby Church of St Stephen which has a bust by Donatello and many paintings and spoils from naval battles between the Knights of St Stephan and the Turks. In total, Pisa has twenty notable churches, from the tiny Romanesque church of St Sixtus to the grand basilica of San Frediano with its 16^thcentury paintings.
The Botanical Gardens in Pisa are Europe’s oldest university gardens and the Palazzo Reale, or Royal Palace, was where Galileo Galilei revealed to the Grand Duke the planets he had discovered using his telescope in the early 17^thcentury. Pisa also has six museums covering many topics including the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and the Museum of Scientific Instruments, which has a compass which probably belonged to Galileo himself.
At the end of the day, watch the sun set over the sea with a drink at one of the many restaurants along Pisa’s waterfront.