Pisa and its surroundings

The Leaning Tower, the icon of Pisa, is the most famous Italian monument in the world. Together with the Cathedral and Baptistery, the Tower makes up of a complex of works that poet Gabriele D’Annunzio defined as “Miracles,” hence the baptizing of the piazza that hosts them as Piazza dei Miracoli. Of course the city of Pisa’s first and foremost point of pride is the Tower, inclined as it is due to a sinkage of terrain; yet it also boasts a singular design of magnificent architecture, bearing arcades and loggias, a spiral staircase of 294 steps, and a belfry at its heights (184 ft), from which visitors can stare agape at the spectacular view.

Piazza dei Miracoli was named an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The tower, however, did not come into popular consciousness as many believe - i.e. through the events recounted about Count Ugolino by Dante in his Divine Comedy. Ugolino, incarcerated in the Leaning Tower with his children, survived by devouring their limbs; nonetheless, it was actually another tower that served as Ugolino’s prison, near Palazzo dell’Orologio. The Tower’s magnificence, adjacent to the Cathedral of Santa Maria, stands out from the skyline of the other edifices in the piazza, appearing suspended above a green cloud (that is, the grassy knoll on which they reside). The Baptistery, or the site of Catholic baptism; the Cathedral, symbol of spiritual elevation; and the old graveyard (camposanto), a final resting place; represent, according to some, a sort of cosmic calendar: birth, life and death. The Cathedral or Duomo, and the Baptistery, all white in color, are an unrivaled example of the Pisan Romanesque, particularly because the interior of the church features contrasting Arabesque influences.