PISA is known worldwide for its Leaning Tower, but there are many other reasons for visiting this wonderful city! Given its size, it’s ideal to be visited on foot or by bike.

A BIT OF HISTORY

ANCIENT TIMES

Pisa was born as an Etruscan port, around the middle of the VI century. First human settlements date back to the IX century. There are many hypothesis about Pisa's origins: it is said it was a Greek country, a village of Liguria or an Etruscan city.

THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE MARITIME REPUBLIC 

Pisa's power is due to its expansion towards the banks of the Arno, the same river which crosses Florence. Around the VII-VIII centuries, there were born "Chinzica" on the left banck and "Forisportam" outside the Roman and Medieval village. In 1155, the construction of the boundary wall, joined all the three villages. For this reason, Pisa became the most important river port in the peninsula. The port attracts merchants from all Mediterranean and during the XI-XII centuries Pisa became a Marittime Republic.
From that time, Pisa experienced a period of successful conquests in the sea. Pisa's fleet that kept down the islamic expansion, reached Sicilian coasts, the northern Africa and Sardinia. The first archibishop of Pisa, Daiberto, ruled Pisa's fleet during the First Crusade and he became the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Thanks to the power of the fleet, Pisa founded colonies in the Middle East and spread economical relationships with the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world. Pisa founded many colonies in the northern Africa, and in different centres of the Bizantine Empire, such as Costantinople. There were countries or districts with commercial trades, houses and religious buildings. In that period, Pisa received a cultural and artistic contamination from the Orient, as we can see from the museums in the city.

THE 14TH CENTURY AND THE FALL OF PISA

The fall of the Maritime Republic happened at the end of 1200, with the defeat with Genoa in the battle of Meloria in 1284.
In 1324 Pisa lost Sardinia that was controlled by the Crown of Aragon and the whole 13th century was characterized by terrible repressions towards Lucca and Florence.
In 1406 Florentines, ruled by Gino Capponi, conquered the city thanks to the corruption of the Captain of People Giovanni Gambacorta who made the doors of San Marco opened.

With the Florentine invasion, Pisa lived a period of strong regression and political instability. The ex-Republic tried to revolt against Florence through different wars, but in 1509 Florence conquered the whole Pisa, after having blocked all the supplies and provisions. The strong control of Florence, caused a decrease in population and economic and cultural impoverishment. Then the fall of Pisa was due to Florence's decision of isolating all the dangerous families (300 people), imposing a strong taxation and doing all the possibile things against merchants and corporations in order to eliminate Pisa's competition. 
What is more, there were collapses in the city, sacks and high death rate because of the fevers brought from the swamp. At the end of the century, when Lorenzo il Magnifico de' Medici controlled Florence, begins a new phase for Pisa. At one side of Fortezza Vecchia (The Old Fortress), that was built by Medici family to control the rebel city, was constructed the Palace of Sapienza that is the seat of the important university.


THE RENAISSANCE AND MEDICI FAMILY

The renaissance of Pisa began in the 16th century, thanks to Cosimo I of Medici who was used to spend here long periods, further from Florence. Especially the Duke did lots of drainages of fields, enacted economical and legal facilitations in order to repopulate the city. What is more, the Duke changes the appereance of Pisa: along the banks of Arno, he built noble residences instead of the landing place such as Palazzo Reale, the wonderful Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri and the Cavalieri Square.
Pisa's development continued under the power of Francesco I and Ferdinando I. The last one ordered the construction of Canale of Navicelli and Logge of Bianchi.

FROM THE LORENA FAMILY TO THE PRESENT DAY

During the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the enlightened Peter Leopold developed the university and reorganized some zones of Pisa, including the banks of Arno that had suffered the flood. In the course of the Napoleonic invasion (1809-1814), according to Napoleon's will, was founded the famous Scuola Normale (Normale School) similar to the Ecoles Normales of Paris. New railways were built during Lorena's dominion, in order to change the organization of the communications and Tuscany's business.
Pisa took part in the revolutionary movements of "The resurgence" (or Italian Unification) and Mazzini moved there until his death in 1872.

In the Second World War, the city of Pisa suffered strong fascist repressions. On August 31st, 1943, Pisa was bombed by U.S.A aviation and many districts were razed to the ground. Other bombings provoked the loss of inique works of art and finally Pisa reached the Liberation.