Introduction to Pisa

Beyond the Leaning tower: uncover Pisa's deep history with a local expert

Tour Details

About the Tour

Category: History, Orientation, Five Days in Tuscany
Duration: 4 hours
Location: Tuscany

Photos & Highlights

Discover the rich cultural and political history behind lesser-known sites of this famous destination
Led by a local expert
Pisa Baptistery, Borgo Stretto, Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa Duomo, and Leaning Tower

Tour Description

While Pisa is frequently visited by tourists, rarely do these visitors gain an understanding of the rich cultural and political history of the town. Due to the popular and photogenic Campo dei Miracoli (home to the Leaning Tower), daytrippers flock to the city on a daily basis but are normally circumscribed to this very small area of the city. On this half day Pisa tour, an excursion beginning from Tuscany or a variety of other Tuscan towns, we will explore not only the religious structures of the city that have made it world famous, but will delve into its dramatic political history as a republic, its significance as a Medieval art center, and its present-day status as a university town.

Pisa Tour

We will begin at the Pisa train station where the guide will meet the group and introduce the plan for the next few hours. The first part of the excursion will focus on the city's political past—as one of the four maritime republics (along with Amalfi, Genoa and Venice) who controlled the Italian coastline in the Medieval era and as the eternal Ghibelline rival against the Florentine Guelphs. We will head up the Borgo Stretto, which intersects the city and leads to the Arno River which flows through the middle of the city and has always played a major role in its history and identity. In the heart of the city, we will also discuss the role of the major universities, including the Scuola Normale, considered by many to be Italy's finest educational institution.

Campo del Miracoli

The second part of the tour will be devoted to the religious complex of the Campo dei Miracoli—including the Duomo, one of the finest examples of Italian Romanesque architecture, the Baptistery, which houses the majestic baptismal fount by Nicola Pisano, and, of course, the Leaning Tower. If time allows, we will also spend some time in the lesser-known areas of the complex—the Museo dell'Opera, which houses some of the masterpieces previously housed in the Basilica, the Museo delle Sinopie, a museum dedicated to the preliminary sketches that are the basis for fresco, and the Campo Santo, the gothic burial place of famed Pisan personalities.

At the end of the excursion, your guide will be more than happy to accompany you back to the train station, or, if you'd like to extend your Pisan experience, make a reservation at a local trattoria to enjoy a traditional meal before hopping on the train back to Florence.

Looking for another Tuscan excursion? See our Siena Tour or Val D'Orcia Tour.

FAQs

Does this tour include climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
No, it doesn't. If you would like to set up a visit to the Tower following the tour, you can set up reservations using this link to the OPA website. We recommend doing this at least two weeks in advance as tickets can sell out.

How long is the train journey from Florence to Pisa?
It depends on the train, however, it usually takes 45min to 1hr20. For a 9 am tour, you may need to leave around 7:30 am. We recommend checking the train timetables on the Trenitalia site. It takes around the same length to drive.

Can the tour guide meet us in Florence?
We normally use a local Pisa guide, which reduces the cost of guide coming from Florence.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Alessandra

Born and raised in Florence, Alessandra has a degree in art history from the University of Florence with a specialization in seventeenth-century painting. She obtained an Masters from the European University Institute in Florence, where she defended her Ph.D. in history, focusing on the patronage of Tuscan nobility in Europe during the seventeenth century. In addition, she holds a diploma in archival administration, paleography, and diplomatics from the State Archive in Florence. She has been teaching art history and Italian culture for several years in various schools and institutions in Florence and across Italy.

Gastone

Qualified Tourist Guide of Florence & Tuscany. Born in Siena and raised in the nearby enchanting hilly region of Crete Senesi, Gastone graduated from Pisa University in Foreign languages and literature. He moved to Florence in 1993 where he learned to love art. He has dedicated his life since then to discovering more and more about Tuscany. He decided to make a career out of his passion for history and fine arts by working with visitors to Italy who wish to have a deeper experience. He could not live without the magnificent richness of Tuscan Heritage, its rural and urban landscape carefully sculpted by medieval ancestors. Gastone is always ready to share his knowledge of his native land with people wishing to discover Italy, a small country with a great history.

23 Reviews – (4.48)

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

We had one day in Pisa and wanted to cover more than the usual leaning tower. Our guide was very helpful and able to provide us with a very detailed history of the region, the town of Pisa, and its importance to the region.

Evaristo

Feb. 27, 2023

Our guide was Vincent and he was terrific! Knowledgable, flexible, very pleasant and patient. Gastone was ill. My only criticism was that the price of the tour SHOULD have included tix to the monuments (cathedral and baptistry). It was made clear in advance that the tower was NoT included, but I was under the impression that the other sites were.

Barbara

Jun. 15, 2022

So happy he met us at our hotel. We were worried that we would miss him at the train station. Great tour of Pisa: informative, good pace, and great guide!

Torey

Sep. 12, 2019

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