Things to do in Pisa
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Leningrad Café
Another hip venue, this café-club down a quiet alley in the San Martino quarter of town pelts out everything from garage, punk and indie rock to rock 'n' roll, swing and soul. DJs spin during the week and Saturday sees cabaret steal the show.
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Cemetery
Soil shipped from Calvary during the Crusades - and reputed to reduce cadavers to skeletons within days - is said to lie within the white walls of this hauntingly beautiful cemetery, a beautiful final resting place for many prominent Pisans, arranged around a garden in a cloistered quadrangle. Many of the more interesting sarcophagi are of Greco-Roman origin, recycled in the Middle Ages.
During WWII, Allied artillery destroyed many of the cloisters' precious frescoes. Among the few to survive was the Triumph of Death - a remarkable illustration of Hell - attributed to an anonymous 14th-century painter known as 'The Master of the Triumph of Death'. Fortunately, the mirrors…
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Duomo
Pisa's duomo was paid for with spoils brought home after Pisans attacked an Arab fleet entering Palermo in 1063. Begun a year later, the cathedral, with its striking cladding of alternating bands of green and cream marble, became the blueprint floor for Romanesque churches throughout Tuscany. The elliptical dome, the first of its kind in Europe at the time, was added in 1380.
It is the three pairs of firmly closed, 16th-century bronze doors of the main entrance (west), designed by the school of Giambologna to replace the wooden originals destroyed (along with most of the cathedral interior) by fire in 1596, which the crowds ogle over. Quite spellbinding, hours can be spen…
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Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina
One of Pisa’s architectural gems is the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina. A fine example of Pisan-Gothic style, this now-deconsecrated church was built between 1223 and 1230 to house a reliquary of a spina (thorn) from Christ’s crown. Its ornately spired exterior is encrusted with tabernacles and statues but the interior is simple and perfectly suited to quiet reflection. Inside, the focal point is Andrea and Nino Pisano’s Madonna and Child (aka Madonna of the Rose, 1345–48), a masterpiece of Gothic sculpture that still bears traces of its original colours and gilding. At the other end of the church is a copy of the graceful Madonna del Latte (Our Lady of Milk, 1…
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Museo Nazionale di San Matteo
From Piazza Garibaldi, veer east along the Lungarno to visit the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo, a repository of medieval masterpieces housed in a 13th-century former Benedictine convent. This fine gallery has a notable collection of 14th- and 15th-century Pisan sculptures, including pieces by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, Andrea and Nino Pisano, Francesco di Valdambrino, Donatello, Michelozzo and Andrea della Robbia, but its collection of paintings from the Tuscan school (c 12th to 14th centuries) is even better, with works by Berlinghiero, Lippo Memmi, Taddeo Gaddi, Gentile da Fabriano and Ghirlandaio on show. Don’t miss Masaccio’s St Paul, Fra’ Angelico’s Madonna …
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Leaning Tower
Yes, the really does lean.
In 1160 Pisa boasted 10,000-odd towers – but had no bell tower for its cathedral. Loyal Pisan Berta di Bernardo righted this in 1172 when she died, leaving a legacy for construction of a campanile (bell tower). Work began in 1173 but ground to a halt a decade later, when the structure’s first three tiers were observed to be tilting. In 1272 work started again, with artisans and masons attempting to bolster the foundations but failing miserably. Despite this, they keep going, compensating for the lean by gradually building straight up from the lower storeys and creating a subtle curve.
Over the centuries, the tower has tilted an extra 1mm eac…
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Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
No museum provides a better overview of Piazza dei Miracoli's trio of architectural masterpieces than the Museum of the Cathedral, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Home to cathedral canons between the 12th and 17th centuries, it has a profusion of works of art once displayed in the tower, cathedral and baptistry. Highlights include Giovanni Pisano's ivory carving of the Madonna and Child (1300) carved for the cathedral's high altar and his Madonna del Colloquio (Madonna of the Colloquium).
Legendary booty includes various pieces of Islamic art including the griffin that once topped the cathedral and a 10th-century Moorish hippogriff.
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Piazza dei Miracoli
No Tuscan sight is more immortalised in kitsch souvenirs than the iconic tower teetering on the edge of this famous piazza, which is also known as the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) or Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). The piazza’s expansive green lawns provide an urban carpet on which Europe’s most extraordinary concentration of Romanesque buildings – in the form of Cathedral, Baptistry and Tower – are arranged. Two million visitors every year mean that crowds are the norm, many arriving by tour bus from Florence for a whirlwind visit.
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Museum of the Cathedral
Housed in the Cathedral’s former chapter house, the Museum of the Cathedral is a repository for works of art once displayed in the Cathedral and Baptistry. Highlights include Giovanni Pisano’s ivory carving of the Madonna and Child (1299), made for the Cathedral’s high altar, and his mid-13th-century Madonna del Colloquio (Madonna of the Colloquy), from a gate of the Duomo. Legendary booty includes various pieces of Islamic art, including the griffin that once topped the Cathedral and a 10th-century Moorish hippogriff.
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Ristoro al Vecchio Teatro
The Vecchio Teatro’s genial host is proud of his set menu, and for good reason. The four courses are dominated by local seafood specialities and diners will encounter delights such as torta di ceci infranti con le arselle (an unusual savoury cake of smashed chickpeas with mussels) and risotto with prawns and orange. The dessert finale includes a castagnaccio (sweet chestnut cake) that has been known to prompt diners to spontaneous applause.
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Antica Trattoria il Campano
The adventurous Tuscan menu - pasta with leeks in cod sauce, octopus salad, or beef marinated with tomatoes, almonds and hazelnuts - at this long-time trattoria has the added advantage of being translated in English. Of the dining areas - under vaulted arches down or beneath bare rafters up - downstairs is the more elegant. Tagliere del Re (minimum two people) - a wonderfully rich platter of 12 kinds of Tuscan antipastos - is a meal in itself.
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Palazzo Blu
West of Corso Italia, facing the river, is the Palazzo Blu, a magnificently restored 14th-century building that sports over-the-top 19th-century interior decoration. Home to the Foundation CariPisa art collection, which comprises predominantly Pisan works from the 14th to the 20th century, the palazzo also hosts temporary exhibitions. Access is via a 20-minute guided tour only (at 4pm, 4.30pm and 5pm daily unless pre-booked).
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Il Montino
Students and sophisticates alike adore the cecina (chickpea pizza) and spuma (a sweet, non-alcoholic drink) that are the specialities of this famous pizzeria. You can follow their lead or instead opt for a foccacine (flat roll) filled with salami, pancetta or porchetta (pork). Order to go or claim one of the outdoor tables. You’ll find it in the laneway behind Caffetiera Ginostra.
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Sightseeing Bus
- Pisa, Italy
- Activities › Bus
Great for families and tired legs is the London-style open-top double-decker red Sightseeing Bus that cruises around town following a circular route; stops include Viale Gramsci in front of the train station, Via Corsica (for Piazza dei Cavalieri) and Piazza Arcivescovado (for Piazza dei Miracoli). Passengers are equipped with an English-language audio commentary and can hop on/off as they please.
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La Clessidra
At the upper end of Pisa's dining scale, La Clessidra cooks up a clutch of themed menus, including a menu tipico di Pisano (minimum two people) featuring wholly local fare, and a seafood equivalent, in a formal setting. Dolci (desserts) are girth-widening and the tourist-free green lawns of neighbouring Piazza Martiri della Libertà are a post lunch siesta delight.
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Osteria dei Cavalieri
The Slow Food recommendation for central Pisa, this osteria (wine bar) serves a high-speed, one-dish only - but what a dish - the lunchtime special alongside an enticing array of other tasty morsels, including carpaccio di pulpo (octopus carpaccio). Although the size of portions may mean a siesta afterwards, the set meals are worth it and the wine list is impressive.
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Trattoria della Faggiola
This popular trattoria recently changed hands, and its loyal clientele suffered a few sleepless nights before the new owners managed to convince them that standards wouldn’t slip. Breathing sighs of relief, they continue to choose from the three or four daily specials per course, eaten in the homely interior or at streetside tables. No credit cards.
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Duomo
Construction of Pisa’s Cathedral began in 1063 and continued until the 13th century, when the main facade was added. The elliptical dome, the first of its kind in Europe, dates from 1380. The building’s striking cladding of alternating bands of green and cream marble became the blueprint for Romanesque churches throughout Tuscany.
The cathedral was the largest in Europe when it was constructed, its breathtaking proportions designed to demonstrate Pisa’s domination of the Mediterranean. The main facade has four exquisite tiers of columns diminishing skywards, while the vast interior is propped up by 68 hefty granite columns. The wooden ceiling decorated with 24-carat g…
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Bon Bon
This is dangerous territory for sweet tooths and chocaholics alike - be prepared for more than a glass and a half of bliss at Bon Bon. Parcels of happiness adorn the shelves while smiling customers stand and drool. Indulge in all description of chocolaty delights and local sweets (diabetics also catered for). Around the corner from Borgo Stretto.
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La Tana
With friendly service and affordable prices, La Tana is a popular venue for students and staff from the nearby university. Its fare is served up on rustic wooden tables and you can snuggle down in the booths. If you're in a rush to get back to some serious monument bashing, go for the pasta veloce - served with haste and lots of taste.
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Enoteca Osteria Il Colonnino
Located in the warren of medieval streets between Piazza San Francesco and the river, Il Colonnino is a great spot for lunch, aperitivo or dinner, with modern-accented Italian dishes providing perfect accompaniments to an impressive wine list. The weekday lunch deal of a daily plate, water and glass of ‘good wine’ (€10) is a steal.
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Battistero
The unusual, round Battisero has one dome piled on top of another, each roofed half in lead, half in tiles. Construction began in 1152, but it was notably remodelled and continued by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano more than a century later and was finally completed in the 14th century – hence its hybrid architectural style.
Inside, the beautiful hexagonal pulpit carved by Nicola Pisano between 1259–60 is the undisputed highlight. Inspired by the Roman sarcophagi in the Camposanto, Pisano used powerful classical models to enact scenes from biblical legend. His figure of Daniel, who supports one of the corners of the pulpit on his shoulders, was clearly modelled on an ancient…
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Bar Pasticceria Salza
Salza has been tempting patrons off Borgo Stretto and into sugar-induced wickedness ever since the 1920s. Claim one of the tables in the arcade, or save some money by standing at the bar – the excellent coffee and dangerously delicious cakes and chocolates will satisfy regardless of where they are sampled.
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Ecovoyager
Pedalling Pisa using two or four wheels is the way to do it: Ecovoyager rents romantic canopied riscio (rickshaws) made for two - or indeed up to six people - as well as conventional bicycles and rollerblades. Hire an English radio-guide at the same time and you're all set to explore Pisa your way.
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Osteria del Porton Rosso
Two menus – one from the land and one from the sea – tempt at this old-fashioned but excellent osteria in a laneway behind the Royal Victoria Hotel. Here, Pisan specialities such as fresh ravioli with salted cod and chickpeas happily coexist with Tuscan classics such as grilled fillet steak.
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