Pisa's leaning tower
Pisa is a elegant provincial capital which during the 11th to 13th centuries was one of the most important maritime cities in the Mediterranean, competing with Genoa and Venice to control important trade routes. But obviously, she's well known for her famous leaning tower
The tower is the result of a small defect, of a pious deviation, from a miscalculation in the wrong place: a flimsy alluvial soil unable to support such an excessive weight. It is true that, back in the 12th century, the building, which had no other mission than that of _ campanile _ of the Duomo (the cathedral) was a true benchmark for Tuscan architecture. But if it hadn't grown so extravagant, it would almost certainly be just one of hundreds of towers dotting Tuscany today. The tower, fair or not, is the bait to visit this very rich town, which it outshines with its curved shadow.
We can not forget that Pisa during the eleventh and thirteenth centuries was the queen of the Western Mediterranean, elbowing with the omnipotent and port Genoa, the powerful republic of Venice and the beautiful southern Amalfi. Pisa also became the owner of Corsica and Sardinia, it even owned our Balearic Islands for a time. Therefore, in addition to Campo dei Miracoli -where are also the Cathedral , the Baptistery and the Cemetery -, its narrow streets, with rough and cobbled floors, its palaces that once belonged to merchant mariners and even other bell towers, such as the one of the church of san nicola and the one of San Michele degli Scalzi (who also like the diagonal trend) deserve a detailed visit.
divided by the arno river , which rushes its last kilometers before dying in the Tyrrhenian, can not fail to visit on its left bank the Church of Santa Maria della Spina , which for centuries guarded a thorn from the crown of Christ, nor the National Museum of San Matteo with works ranging from medieval times to the Renaissance.
On the right bank is the Piazza dei Cavalieri, with the Palazzo dei Cavalieri, today the Escuela Normale founded by Napoleon , following in the footsteps of the École Normale de Paris. But Pisa will also seduce the shopping lovers , whether culinary products, which you will find in Piazza delle Vettovaglie, or Italian brands, in the arcade Burgo Stretto, the busiest commercial street.
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Guy: Point of interest
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