“Piazza dei Miracoli” a Pisa, Piazza del Duomo Patrimonio dell’Unesco

Piazza del Duomo di Pisa is located northwest of the city. Inside the square, known as the Square of Miracles, are the most important monuments of the city: the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Campo Santo, and the Leaning Tower also known as the Tower of Pisa. Since 1987, Piazza del Duomo in Pisa has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Piazza del Duomo is pedestrianized and covered, featuring a large lawn.

The Cathedral of Pisa

The Cathedral of Pisa is the duomo of Santa Maria Assunta. Located in the center of the Piazza dei Miracoli, it is a true tribute to Pisan Romanesque style. It dates back to 1063 and was designed by the architect Buscheto. It combines different stylistic elements: classical, Lombard-Emilian, Byzantine and particularly Islamic, proving the international presence of Pisan merchants at that time.  Since 2000, access to the Cathedral of Pisa has been regulated, distinguishing tourist visits from religious ones. Visiting hours have been established and an entry ticket introduced, making the cathedral a museum monument. This allows for better tourist enjoyment of the building without interfering with the religious function of the cathedral and ensures better preservation of the artworks housed there.

Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Leaning Tower

The so-called Leaning Tower of Pisa (leaning tower or Tower of Pisa) is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in Piazza del Duomo, which today is the most famous monument due to its characteristic tilt. It is a freestanding bell tower about 56 meters above ground (58.36 meters considering the foundation level), built over two centuries, between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries.

Weighing 14,453 tons, the curved line predominates, with rounds of blind arches and six floors of loggias. Its tilt is due to ground subsidence that occurred early in the construction phases. The building’s inclination currently measures 3.97° relative to the vertical axis.

The Tower of Pisa remains balanced because the vertical line passing through its center of gravity falls within the base of support.
It has been proposed as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. After years of studies and works to reduce its inclination and secure it, the tower was reopened to the public in the summer of 2001. Inside, a staircase of 294 steps leads to the top from which opens a unique view over the Square and the entire city of Pisa.

Construction began in August 1173 and continued with two long interruptions for about two hundred years. The building’s foundation is attributed to Bonanno Pisano, also the author of the cathedral’s bronze doors. The construction of the bell chamber was by Giovanni di Simone in the 14th century. Already during construction, the tower began to lean due to ground subsidence. The Tower of Pisa is forbidden to children under 8 years old, children between 8-12 years must be held by the hand during the visit, and minors under 18 must be accompanied by adults.

Baptistery of Pisa

The Baptistery of Pisa is a monument open to the public in a manner similar to a museum, which is part of the complex of museums and monuments of the Opera Primaziale Pisana. In addition to the architectural structures, the visitor can see the important works of art preserved inside.

One can go up to the galleries on the first floor from where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Square of Miracles. In the history of the construction of the entire monumental complex of the Cathedral Square of Pisa, the Baptistery represents the first essential stage in the formation of the Christian, in a path that accompanies him from birth to death, from Baptism, to awareness and finally to post mortem rest, all concentrated in the space of the Square of Miracles and marked by the architectural masterpieces that compose it.

Camposanto monumentale di Pisa

The monumental cemetery of Pisa, built starting in 1278 by Giovanni di Simone, housed an extraordinary cycle of frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries (Taddeo Gaddi, Andrea Bonaiuti, the Master of the Triumph of Death, Benozzo Gozzoli), which suffered severe damage during the last world war.

After the delicate restoration work that returned the precious pieces of medieval and early Renaissance painting to us, the frescoes, already seriously compromised by a long and troubled history, are now moving towards their natural and definitive relocation, returning to decorate the monumental walls of the Camposanto, their original site and therefore the only one capable of restoring the grandeur of a cycle unparalleled for its time.

The Opera Primaziale Pisana in agreement with the Direction of Works is planning a public presentation in 2006 of the work that has affected and will affect, with the necessary pictorial restoration, the cycle of frescoes and soon visitors will be able to admire the Camposanto again in its structural and decorative entirety. It also houses 84 ancient sarcophagi and many medieval funerary monuments.