Pisa is the capital city of the Province of Pisa and is on the right bank of the mouth of the Arno River on the Ligurian Sea. In the 20th century Pisa started again began to flourish, thanks to the development of its trade, industry, university and, in more recent times, its fame of tourists world wide.



Pisa is becoming a popular destination for short breaks and backpacking trips. With a number of low-cost airlines now flying to the city.

The city has retained much of its old charm, with the 16th century shops and houses along the Piazza Dei Cavalieri and the Via Santa Maria. The Piazza dei Miracoli, is a street filled with souvenir stalls.

There are a lot of stands selling souvenirs including models of the Leaning Tower. They are very cheap. They models range from finger sized to very tall the largest probably 2 feet tall.

The streets around Piazza dei Cavalieri becomes a open market every second week end of the month. The Antiques Market in Pisa is one of the most interesting in Italy because Pisa is home to plenty of furniture manufacturers, shops and restorers. The Pisan craft is renowned for leather goods, shoes, terracotta, wooden furniture and naturally, food.

The city is not famed for its night life, but any where that has as lively student community will not be short on watering holes and places to let your hair down. The student haunts can be found in the Lungarni district or the streets around Piazza Garibaldi.

The many restaurants in the historic centre offer typical dishes from Pisa, as well as fine, protected produce such as Monte Pisano olive oil, Pecorino cheese, Parco di Migliarino lamb, Pisan beef, San Miniato truffle, pine nuts, mushrooms and Pisanello tomatoes.

The Leaning Tower is the most famous image of the city it is the most remarkable bell tower in Europe The construction began in 1173 and continued for about two hundred years. Originally the tower was designed to be vertical but it tilted because of the softness of the soil. In 1990, the tower was closed to the public for safety reasons and reopened in 2001. The area around the tower is a big plaza or field filled with tourists and stands.

Legend is that Camposanto is a cemetery which was built at the site where the Crusaders placed the soil they brought from the Holy Land.