Things to See and Do in Pisa

Pisa in Italy is the perfect place to visit for short trip and it is also great for a long vacation. It is a city that is steeped in heritage and has a lot of history behind it's walls. Every place has a story to tell and you will be mesmerized at the sheer beauty and elegance of many of these places. There are various architectural sights that you must absolutely see when visiting Pisa.

You can start your tour of this great city at the Baptistery (Battistero), which is the largest baptistery in Italy. It dates back to the 12th century, making it a remarkable piece of European history. Designed in its round shape by the famous Deotisalvi, it has a rather large circumference of 348 feet. The construction of the lower drum was done in Romanesque style and the Gothic style upper part was added almost a hundred years later. It is famous for its huge dome, its carved front and the pulpit designed by the great Nicola Pisano.

Afterward, you can visit piazza dei Cavalieri. It was designed by Giorgio Vasari in the year 1560 and is one of the most important piazzas of Pisa. It is a curved open space that leads up to the Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri. This piazza was the former seat of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen (Ordine dei Cavalieri di Santo Stefano), who were an organized group of religious warriors who protected the city from the Turks.

For those who enjoy being close to nature, there is the Botanical Gardens (Orto Botanico di Pisa). It was built sometime in the 1540s and is claimed to be the oldest botanical gardens in all of Europe. Visitors can look forward to an amazing experience viewing various fantastic species of plants from all over the world. It has a very relaxed atmosphere and most visitors appreciate the calm and quite. It is closed on Sundays and there is no admission fee.

Any visit to Pisa is incomplete without a trip to the Leaning Tower (Torre Pendente) of Pisa. There are many people every year who make a trip to Pisa just to see this tower. It is actually the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa). Its sand foundation caused it to lean over time and has now made it the famed monument that it is. Climbing the stairs is a unique experience.

Italy is a country with so much to explore and discover. Hiring a car in Italy may be an option worth considering particularly if you plan on traveling about and taking in some of the other wonderful locations within Italy such as Venice, Rome, Milan and Naples.

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