Nuova pagina 1

Unlike the other major art conters of Tuscany, Pisa is practically devoid of great Renaissance monuments for, in fact she made her fortune and accumulated her art treasures mainly during the Middle Ages.
Actually, the peak of Pisa's economic and political power was reached in the 12th-13th centuries when Pisan ships ruled the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was only during this time that the city, whose prosperity came from lucrative trade with the Orient could afford to commission the masterpieces of painting, sculpture, and architecture with which to embellish herself. Foremost among these, is, of course, the Campo dei Miracoli, which after almost a millennium has come down to us practically intact except for its celebrated Campanile, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which every year that passes, is just a bit more leaning.
But you mustn't make the all too common mistake of thinking that once you've seen the Campo dei Miracoli, you've seen Pisa. In fact our guide is divided into three easy-to-follow and enjoyable itineraries with an appendix for touring the environs so that you don't miss anything. Also, to help you get even more out of your sightseeing, a brief outline of Pisa's history and art history is provided at the beginning.

Who founded Pisa is a controversial matter. Some historians believe that the city was colonized by a group of Greeks at the end of the 7th century B.C. Others are convinced that its founders came from nearby Liguria and that it was later settled by the Etruscans. We do know, however, that the city, first an ally of Rome, later became one of her colonies at which time it was re-named Julia Obsequens. Under the Emperor Octavian in the 1st century A.D. the porto pisanus was enlarged. Although only little of it is extant today, the city's history and prosperity have always been tied in with ports and the sea, for activities connected with the sea have been the mainstay of Pisa's economic life from the

very beginning. Seafaring never ceased, not even when the rest of the Italian peninsula was in the throes of terrible crises such as the periods of Roman and barbarian rule and throughout the Longobard domination. From the outset, Pisa's aim was to build up her fleet and extend her trading and, in fact, she soon became one of the great

Mediterranean sea powers. In the 11th century, the Free Commune of Pisa was even able to wrest from the Saracens a good-sized chunk of the Island of Sardinia which, as a result, came under Pisan influence in the economic, political, and artistic spheres. The 11th century was a period of fervent artistic activity, especially in architecture when the first examples of the Pisans-Lucchese architecture may best be defined as a local version of the romanesque, a mixture brewed from different styles and cultures.