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Comune di Pisa

The discovery of Pisa’s ancient urban port, dating back to Etruscan and Roman times, is one of those archaeological events destined to deeply influence our historical knowledge of the Mediterranean civilisations. It has been talked of (and will continue to be so, in greater detail, in the years to come) as the “excavation of marvels” and, rather exaggeratedly, as “the Pompeii of the sea”. Without a doubt, we are faced with one of the sudden revelations that, by obliging us to rewrite important parts of our history, end up by affecting our future as well.
The discovery of the ancient port, which was used for an entire millennium, is destined to revive and in part modify the tourist image of Pisa, universally known for its Leaning Tower and yet almost oppressed by a tourist stereotype that has distorted its identity over the ages. A major role is played by the city’s subconscious that still has not overcome, incredible as it may seem, the resentment and melancholy caused by certain historical events and the brusque interruption that took place not in the recent past but in 1284, when Genoa’s fleet routed Pisa and put an end to a dream of glory that was very similar to an imperial plan. For a long time, Pisa allowed itself to be described as marked by “solitude”, “solitary and silent”, “almost deserted”, “the shadow of its former self”. All this in spite of its exceptional monuments and a climate so healthy that it even won over Giacomo Leopardi. Pisa’s “solitude” was in fact a form of detachment and estrangement. The expression recurs so frequently in the diaries of fans of the Grand Tour as to make one suspect that the Pisans had done everything they could to detach themselves from the incredibly valuable artistic and architectural heritage of the monuments bestowed on the town by the ancient maritime power. In any case, it all increases Pisa’s charm, and a visit that aims to dig below the surface, to penetrate the mystery of a town that has aroused great hatred and great love, becomes even more unforgettable and intriguing.
In terms of identity of a people and their culture, the impression is that the discovery of the port is destined to have a liberating effect and it could help finally free the town’s tourist image from the unbearable dictatorship of its Leaning Tower. Today it is a marvellous experience to look at Pisa with new eyes, trying to distinguish truth from probability, history and literature, and separating the ancestral collective truth harboured by the subconscious from the calm rationality of everyday life. When you go to Pisa, you can continue to marvel at the Leaning Tower.
But if you really want to get to know this extraordinary town and gain the attention of its inhabitants, try to look beyond the Tower to the sea on the horizon. (from the article of Aldo Canale, published on ULISSE, Alitalia monthly review).
As the fulcrum of an area astride the provinces of Lucca and Livorno, just 80 km from Florence and 10 km from the sea, Pisa is particularly suitable for farm-holidays, trekking, cycling, horse-riding, bird watching, golf, open-air and water sports, that can be practised on a fantastic coast with sand-beaches, perfectly equipped with bathing establishments, hotels and restaurants. City of art and history, Pisa commemorates its traditions during the month of June with numerous folklore and religious events, among which we draw attention to the Luminara, in occasion of the feast of the patron Saint (16 June), a suggestive decoration of the banks of the Arno River with wax candles, and the Palio di San Ranieri, a regatta with special boats through the historic parts of town.
On the last Sunday in June, at the end of procession composed of over seven hundred actors in historic costumes, the two opposite banks of the Arno, organised in two opposing factions of six teams each, face each other, pushing a heavy cart, and thus inaugurate the Game of the Bridge, a re-evocation of an ancient tournament game.

Links:
www.comune.pisa.it/doc/cultura
The Ancient SHIPS of Pisa
La Navigation du Savoir
Medieval Art in Pisa
All-Inclusive Ticket - Biglietto Unico "Universalis"
The Mural of Keith Haring

Contact:  Antonella Lilli
Web site: http://www.comune.pisa.it/
Phone:  +39 050 910255
Fax:  +39 050 910539