Pisa is 30 kilometers far from Viareggio (about 30 minutes). It was an important Roman Empire city and Medieval center; its importance started decreasing during the 14th century, when its famous and ancient port started silting up. In “Miracle Square” you can visit the famous Leaning Tower, nothing but the bell tower of the close cathedral of “Santa Maria Assunta”, a beautiful church in Romanesque style. Near to the tower, through “Via Santa Maria”, you can reach “Piazza dei Cavalieri”, a Renaissance square realized on the projects of the architect Giorgo Vasari, with its marvelous “Palazzo dei Cavalieri”, all decorated with beautiful graffiti and nowadays main seat of the Uplevel University “La Normale”. You can now walk along the “Borgo Stretto”, typical picturesque and small city street, with a lot of small shops and Cafes, going till the river Arno, that is crossing the city center and dividing it in two parts. Crossing the middle bridge (Ponte di Mezzo) you’ll see the Municipality building, “Palazzo Gambacorti”, and while having a stroll along the river you’ll enjoy the view of the several beautiful houses that are facing it. This landscapes and colors where among the reasons why famous artists and writers, as i.e. Lord Byron and Percy B. Shelley, decided to spend a long time in Italy. You can’t leave the city without a quick stop at the “Santa Maria della Spina” church (Saint Mary of the Thorn), a masterwork of Italian Romanesque art, built up on a riverbank.
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