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Location of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in the Italian city of Pisa. This is in the Tuscany region of central Italy, 80 km west of the city of Florence and close to the Ligurian Sea. It is an ancient architectural building dating back to the Middle Ages.

This building was used in the past as a bell tower for the Cathedral of Pisa and is one of the oldest. Buildings in Piazza Duomo. This leaning tower is located behind the Cathedral building, in the square called Miracle Square.

Tourism in the Tower of Pisa

The Tower of Pisa is located in Miracle Square, which is famous for other tourist attractions close to the Tower, such as the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery and the Pisa Cathedral Museum. Below is some information about these monuments:

• Leaning Tower of Pisa: The tower is fifty-six metres high and is divided into eight floors connected by a spiral staircase with 297 steps. Six floors are used as a platform to view the city of Pisa and the surrounding villages.
• The Cathedral of Pisa and its Museum: The Cathedral building has a façade in four sections, decorated with white columns and arches, and bronze doors framed with a relief by the sculptor Bonanno Pisano. It has a marble pulpit from the fourteenth century and the tomb of the Roman Emperor Henry VII. As for the Cathedral Museum, it is located on the eastern side of Piazza del Miracosto, in the old cathedral building. It contains works from the Cathedral, the Baptistery, paintings and works of art from the Roman and Etruscan civilisations.
• Baptistery of Pisa: the building of the Baptistery is characterised by its circular shape. Its construction began in 1152 AD. The interior walls of the Baptistery are characterised by white and grey stripes surrounded by Gothic decorations. This is the design that distinguished the cathedrals built in the same period, and it contains a hexagonal pulpit decorated with lions' heads.
• Pisa Cathedral Cemetery: Inside the Cathedral is a garden surrounded by corridors containing the tombs of the nobility who lived in the city of Pisa. Many of its features, such as frescoes and Roman ruins, were destroyed during the Second World War.
• Sinopia Museum: This museum displays the original manuscripts of the frescoes that were on the walls of the cemetery of the Cathedral of Pisa after its destruction in the Second World War. In the past, the museum was used as a hospital.

Tourism in the city of Pisa

The city of Pisa is considered a historic city, characterised by its many ancient buildings and various tourist attractions. In addition to the Tower of Pisa, it includes other landmarks such as the Clock Tower, Knights' Square and many archaeological buildings such as churches, which number up to twenty churches spread throughout the city.

It is also famous for its view of the banks of the Arno River, surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes of trees and meadows. The city of Pisa is a popular tourist destination. Their number reaches six million people a year, coming from all over the world and from Italy itself, especially from neighbouring cities. Like the cities of Florence and Lucca, the following are the most important monuments that tourists can visit and explore:

• National Museum of Pisa: This museum contains paintings and sculptures from the period between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. The statues by the sculptor Giovanni Pisano are the most famous sculptures in the museum, dating back to 1340 AD. They were previously in the Baptistery of the Church of Santa Maria della Spina.
• Church of Santa Maria della Spina: This church is located on the left bank of the Arno and its western façade is characterised by two gates and three frames in the shape of characteristic jagged points, each frame containing a window. It is one of the smallest churches in the city of Pisa, built in the Gothic style, and it is worth noting that its name means "Saint Mary with thorns" in Italian.
• Palace of the Knights: This palace is located in Piazza dei Cavalieri, from which it takes its name. Its façade is decorated with scraffito, a prominent form of decoration, and busts of six dukes of the Medici family. The palace became a university in 1810 A.D., during the reign of Napoleon.
• Romanic Church of San Piero: (Italian: Romanica di San Piero a Grado) This church is located in the old port of Pisa, away from the centre of Pisa towards the town of Marina. Its construction dates back to the tenth century A.D., and it is distinguished by its frescoes, which still retain their colours today.
• Opera del Duomo Museum: (Italian: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo) is also called the Cathedral Museum. This museum is located near the Tower and the Cathedral of Pisa. The Tower of Pisa can be seen from the windows on the second floor.
• Piazza delle Vettovaglie: (Italian: Piazza delle Vettovaglie) This square is considered one of the oldest in the city of Pisa. It is made up of interconnected lanes lined with shops, restaurants and cafes. Every morning the famous Valier market is held in the vicinity. It is worth noting that the meaning of its name is Supply Field.

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