Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NORTHWESTERN TUSCANY
Travel through this part of Tuscany and you will truly understand the term 'slow travel'.
Lingering over a lunch of regional specialities swiftly becomes the norm, as does meander-
ing through medieval hilltop villages, taking leisurely bike rides along coastal wine trails
with spectacular scenery or hiking on an island where Napoleon was once exiled. Even the
larger towns - including the university hub of Pisa and 'love at first sight' Lucca - have an
air of tranquillity and tradition that begs the traveller to stay for a few days of cultural
R&R.
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Pisa
POP 85,500
Once a maritime power to rival Genoa and Venice, Pisa now draws its fame from an archi-
tectural project gone terribly wrong. But the world-famous Leaning Tower is just one of
many noteworthy sights in this compact and compelling city. Education has fuelled the loc-
al economy since the 1400s, and students from across Italy still compete for places in its
elite university and research schools. This endows the centre of town with a vibrant and af-
fordable cafe and bar scene, and balances an enviable portfolio of well-maintained
Romanesque buildings, Gothic churches and Renaissance piazzas with a lively street life
dominated by locals rather than tourists.
History
Possibly of Greek origin, Pisa became an important naval base under Rome and remained a
significant port for many centuries. The city's so-called golden days began late in the 9th
century when it became an independent maritime republic and a rival of Genoa and Venice.
The good times rolled on into the 12th and 13th centuries, by which time Pisa controlled
Corsica, Sardinia and most of the mainland coast as far south as Civitavecchia. Most of the
city's finest buildings date from this period, when the distinctive Pisan-Romanesque archi-
tectural style flourished.
Pisa's support for the Ghibellines during the tussles between the Holy Roman Emperor
and the pope brought the city into conflict with its mostly Guelph Tuscan neighbours, in-
cluding Siena, Lucca and Florence. The real blow came when Genoa's fleet defeated Pisa
