PISA

15km from Versilia

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History

Pisa, in the past an Etruscan settlement and subsequently a Roman Colony, and later sill, the ancient a proud Maritime Republic, rises close to the Tirrenian Sea on the banks of the river Arno, that flows through in the Middle Ages gave it its period of maximum splendour: the numerous civilian and religious edifices, the squares, the typical narrows alleys running perpendicular to the Arno, testify, in the historic centre’s forma urbis, to a remarkable economic and political stability.Traces of the Roman and medieval settlements were completely lost, partly because of bombing during the Second Word War, but there are still ample stretches of the town walls, built between 1154 –1155 and the Mid – Fourteenth Century.In the XI Century Pisa intensified trade in the Mediterranean Sea, conquered Sardinia and the towns of Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Bona and Al Mahdiya in Africa, and furthermore could boast of many victories against the Muslim ships. Oriented towards Ghibelline politics, Pisa was the only free Commune in all of Tuscany to openly support the Swabian sovereigns (Frederick I Barbarossa, Henry VI, Frederick II, Manfredi and Corradino) and were thus in contrast with the Papacy, and excommunicated in 1241 for having captured and consigned to the Emperor Frederick II a few high – ranking priests on their way to Rome to take part in a council.

The gradual decline of the city was decreed by its rival Genoa with the defeat of Meloria in 1284 and subsequently also by Florence. The loss of Sardinia and predominance over the sea placed Pisa in a kind of isolation from which it only emerged around 1500.

thank you to

www.comune.pisa.it/turismo/storia-gb.htm

Near Pisa you can find:

On 18 august start the "Giornata di Festa nell'Anno Domini 1398". The event is a rappresentation of life in old medioeval period.

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The Certosa of Calci Founded in 1366, rises to approximately 10 kilometers from Pisa. Its Museum of Natural History and the Territory of the University of the Studies of Pisa is visitabile

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Volterra an etruscan city

Orrido di botri