Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles)
D’Annunzio, the great poet who was passing through Pisa, was so enraptured by their beauty that he called the Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistery true miracles, and it is since then that Piazza del Duomo (recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site), has been called ‘Piazza dei Miracoli’
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
We couldn’t help but start with you, one of the best known and most photographed Italian monuments in the world: The Tower of Pisa. It actually originated as the bell tower of the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, which is located next door. Work on its construction began in 1173 but lasted for more than two centuries precisely because of its inclination, which was apparent from the very beginning. In fact, the tower is located on sandy ground and began to lean as early as the third floor, so much so that construction continued in the opposite direction to the slope to prevent it from leaning further. The slope continued for many years, until the renovation work was completed in 2002 (the year of its reopening), and is now stable at 5%. Climb the 294 steps and 56 metres to reach the top of the belfry and enjoy a view that is nothing short of spectacular!
The Baptistery dedicated to St John the Baptist
The other building in the Piazza dei Miracoli is the Baptistery dedicated to St John the Baptist. We are talking about the largest Baptistery in Italy (107.25 metres in circumference), the construction of which was begun in 1153 by Diotisalvi and completed a century later by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. Magnificent, inside, are the baptismal font (where Galileo Galilei was baptised in 1564) and the pulpit, by Nicola Pisano, where scenes from the Life of Christ are sculpted. The Baptistery also has exceptional acoustics.
Pisa Cathedral
The Duomo, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, is also the city’s cathedral. It was built starting in 1063 under the design of the architect Buscheto, who fused classical, Norman, Byzantine, early Christian and Arab elements, imitating the style of the Islamic countries that had flourishing maritime trade with Pisa. Since its construction, the Duomo was intended to represent the prestige and wealth attained by the Maritime Republic of Pisa at the time of its greatest expansion, and this is undoubtedly testified to on the outside by the rich decorations with multi-coloured marble, mosaics and bronze objects, and on the inside by the use of fine white and black marble and grey marble columns.
