Pisa: top attractions & road trip guide
Pisa is a Tuscan city on the Arno River, once a powerful maritime republic that rivaled Venice and Genoa before its decline in the 15th century. Today it is known worldwide for a single monument, the Leaning Tower, whose accidental tilt has made it one of the most photographed buildings on Earth.
Pisa is a compact and easy stop on a Tuscany coastal road trip, often paired with Lucca or the Cinque Terre. Its main sights cluster in the grassy Piazza dei Miracoli at the edge of the historic center, with several car parks close by, so a visit rarely requires venturing deep into the ZTL zone that covers the rest of the old town.
Top attractions
Leaning Tower of Pisa
A freestanding bell tower begun in 1173 that started tilting during construction due to soft ground, now stabilized at roughly a four-degree angle.
Pisa Cathedral
A grand Romanesque cathedral begun in 1064, its striped marble exterior and tiered arcades set the architectural style copied across medieval Tuscany.
Baptistery of St. John
The largest baptistery in Italy, a circular Romanesque-Gothic building famous for its extraordinary acoustics and Gothic pulpit by Nicola Pisano.
Camposanto Monumentale
A walled cemetery said to be built around soil brought from Golgotha, its cloister once held extensive medieval frescoes damaged in World War II.
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