Page 330 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

328  CENTR AL IT AL Y

7 Pisa

For much of the Middle Ages, Pisa’s powerful navy ensured
its dominance of the western Mediterranean. Trading links
with Spain and North Africa in the 12th century brought vast
mercantile wealth and formed the basis of a cultural revolution
that is still reflected in Pisa’s splendid buildings – especially
the Duomo, Baptistry and Campanile (the eponymous
leaning tower). Pisa’s decline began in 1284, with its defeat
by Genoa, and was hastened by the silting up of the harbour.
The city fell to the Florentines in 1406, but suffered its worst A detail from the Duomo pulpit
crisis in 1944 when it fell victim to Allied bombing.
Emperor Henry VII (1315) by
Tino da Camaino, and a mosaic
of Christ in Majesty in the apse,
completed by Cimabue in 1302.
The circular Baptistry was
begun in 1152 along Roman‑
esque lines, and finished a
century later (the delay caused
by a shortage of money) in a
more ornate Gothic style by
Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
The former was responsible for
the marble pulpit (1260) in the
interior, carved with reliefs of
the Nativity, the Adoration of
the Magi, the Presentation, the
Crucifixion and The Last Judgment.
The pillars that support the pulpit
feature statues of the Virtues.
The inlaid marble font (1246)
is by Guido da Como.
Z Camposanto
Piazza dei Miracoli. Tel 050 83 50 11.
Open daily. Closed 1 Jan, 25 Dec.
The Camposanto (cemetery) is
the fourth element in the Campo
dei Miracoli’s lovely ensemble.
Begun in 1278 by Giovanni di
Simone, the vast marble arcades
of this long building are said to
The Baptistry, Duomo and Leaning Tower in Pisa’s Campo dei Miracoli enclose soil from the Holy Land.
Bombs in World War II all but de‑
P Leaning Tower Today the Duomo stands as one stroyed its once famous frescoes,
See p330. Tel 050 83 50 11/12. Open of the finest Pisan‑Romanesque leaving only traces of The Triumph
daily. Mid‑Jun–Aug: 8:30am–10pm; buildings in Tuscany, its of Death (1360–80). Nearby is the
Sep–mid‑Jun: times vary. 8 Visits wonderful four‑tiered façade a Orto Botanico, one of Europe’s
last 30 mins. No children under 8. medley of creamy colonnades oldest botanical gardens.
& ∑ opapisa.it (reservations). and intricate blind arcades.
Buscheto’s tomb is in the left
R Duomo and Baptistry arch of the façade. Other
Piazza Duomo. Tel 050 83 50 11. important features of the
Open daily (Duomo: pm only on Sun). exterior include the Portale di
∑ opapisa.it San Ranieri (leading to the
Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower is south transept) and the bronze
now the best‑known building in doors (1180), decorated with
the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of reliefs cast by Bonanno Pisano,
Miracles). Originally, however, it the first architect of the Leaning
was intended as a campanile to Tower. Inside, the highlights are
complement the Duomo, which the carved pulpit (1302–11) by A fresco from the Triumph of Death
was begun by Buscheto in 1064. Giovanni Pisano, the Tomb of cycle in the Camposanto
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp569–73 and pp590–96

328-329_EW_Italy.indd 328 26/04/16 5:17 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.9)
Date 20th August 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm