Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
San Piero a
Grado
4
Road map
B2
.
Tel
050 96 00 65.
#
7
San Piero is a handsome 11th-
century church built on the
spot where St Peter is believed
to have first set foot on Italian
soil in AD 42. According to the
New Testament Book of Acts,
he arrived at a set of landing
steps by the Arno. Archae-
ologists have discovered the
foundations of Roman port
buildings underneath the
present church, which stands
at the point where the Arno
once flowed into the sea. Silt
deposits mean that the church
now stands some 6 km (3.5
miles) from the shore.
An unusual feature of the
church is the lack of any
façade. Instead, it has semi-
circular apses at both the east
and west ends. The exterior is
decorated with blind arcading
and with Moorish-style
ceramic plates set into the
masonry around the eaves -
an unusual feature that it
shares with the Duomo in San
Miniato
(see p163)
.
The present church was
built during the reign of Pope
John XVIII (1004-9) and the
varied capitals of the nave
come from ancient Roman
buildings. High up on the
nave walls there are frescoes
by Deodato Orlandi, painted
around 1300, on
The Life of St
Peter
. These are interspersed
with portraits of all the popes
from St Peter to John XVII.
8am-7pm daily.
Santa Maria della Spina by the river Arno in Pisa
R
Santa Maria della Spina
Lungarno Gambacorti
.
Tel
055 321
54 46.
roam among the pine forests
and salt marsh. Gombo, to
the west, is where the
drowned body of the poet
Shelley was found in 1822.
Mar-Oct: 10am-1:30pm,
2:30-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat
& Sun; Nov-Feb: 10am-2pm Tue-Fri,
10am-1:30pm, 2:30-6pm Sat & Sun.
The roofline of Santa Maria
della Spina bristles with spiky
Gothic pinnacles, miniature
spires and niches sheltering
statues of apostles and saints.
The church was built to house
an unusual relic: a thorn from
the Crown of Thorns forced
on to Christ's head during the
cruel mock coronation that
preceded His crucifixion.
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Marina di Pisa
3
Road map
B2
.
*
3,000.
@
(
Sun in summer, Tue in winter.
R
San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno
Piazza San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno
.
Tel
050 415 15.
7
Worth visiting for its impress-
ive 12th-century façade, this
church was built in the same
Pisan-Romanesque style as
the Duomo
(see pp158-9).
The Romanesque chapel
(see p44)
at the east end is
dedicated to St Agatha. It is
built entirely from brick, with
a cone-shaped roof; Islamic
influence is said to account for
its unusual octagonal shape.
#
by appt.
Moorings at Marina di Pisa, at the
mouth of the river Arno
Much of the salt marsh to
the west of Pisa has now
been drained and reclaimed,
and a large US Air Force base
(Camp Darby) now occupies
the area south of the Arno.
There are extensive sandy
beaches on the Arno estuary,
and here lies Marina di Pisa, a
seaside resort with some
pretty Art Nouveau houses,
backed by pine woods.
On the drive there you may
catch sight of grazing camels
- these are the descendants
of a large herd established
under Duke Ferdinand II in
the mid-17th century. The
village of Tirrenia, with its
sandy beaches, lies 5 km (3
miles) south of Marina di Pisa.
Tenuta di San
Rossore
2
Road map
B2
.
Pisa.
Tel
050 52
55 00 (050 53 01 01 or 53 37 55 for
tours).
@
8am-5:30pm Sat, Sun &
pub hols (Apr-Sep: to 7:30).
#
8am-
2pm Mon-Fri (in English by appt).
8
North of the Arno, this area is
part of the Parco Naturale di
San Rossore, a nature reserve
stretching to the north of
Tuscany. Wild boar and deer
Interior of San Piero a Grado, with
frescoes by Deodati Orlandi
