PISA, capital of the province of Pisa in Tuscany, is situated in a plain watered by the Arno, 45 wiles by railway W. from Florence, 10 miles N. from Leghorn, and about 4 miles from the sea-coast, in 43' 43' 11" N. lat., 10° 24' 7" E. long., and has about 22,000 inhabit ants. The town is divided by the river into two nearly equal parts, connected by three bridges, one of which is of marble. The circum ference of the walls is about six wiles; the quays along the Arno and several other streets are wide, well paved, and lined with handsome buildings, but the town has an appearance of loneliness ; it is too large for its population. The four most remarkable buildings of Pisa, the cathedral, baptistery, belfry, and Campo Saute, are grouped near one another in a vast open place at the western extremity of the town.
The duomo, or cathedral, begun in 1068 by the architect Buschetto and completed in 1118, is a splendid gothic structure, cased externally with marble of various colours, and ornamented with numerous rilievos, inscriptions, and columns of various sizes. The plan is a Latin cross. The interior of the church is lighted through small windows of painted glass; the nave is divided from the aisles by fine columns of granite; and the three bronze gates of the façade are ornamented with figures by Giovanni da Bologna, representing scenes from the Passion of our Lord. Above the intersection of the nave and transepts rises a dome, which is one of the earliest constructions of the kind iu It ly. The pulpit is enriched with valuable sculptures by Giovanni di Pisa; other statues and sculptures by the same master hand, and by Giovanni da Bologna and other artists, are in various parts of the church. The paintings are by Andrea del Sarto, Razzi, Salvator Rosa, RoseIli, and other masters. The pavement is of marble of various colours.
The Baptistery, erected between the years 1152 and 1160 by Dioti salvi, is of a singular design. The plan is circular, with a diameter of 116 feet ; the walla ere 8 feet thick ; the building is raised on 3 steps, and surmounted with a dome in the shape of a pear. The exterual
elevation is divided into 3 stories : in the basement the columns, 20 in number, are engaged, and have arches springing from column to column, with a bold cornice above ; in the first story the columns are smaller, stand out in relief, and are placed closer together; and the order is surmounted with pinnacles and high pediments placed at equal distances : the tenuivationa of these parts are crowned with statues. Above this is an attic story, decorated with other high pediments, pin nacles, and statues. The dome, which is covered with lead, is inter sected by long lines of very prominent fretwork : all these lines meet in a little cornice near the top, and terminate in another dome, above which i.s a statue of St. John. The interior is much admired for its proportions: 8 granite columns, placed between 4 piers decorated with pilasters, are arranged round the basementatory, which support a second order of piers arranged in a similar manner, ou which the dome rests, which is famous for its echo. The interior is ornamented with numerous sculptures : the pulpit, by Nicola Pisano, is considered a masterpiece. In the middle of the Baptistery is a large octagonal basin of marble, raised on three steps. Within the basin there are four circular places hollowed out for water, and round the centre of the basin, which is occupied by a pedestal, is a place likewise hollowed out for the priest, who was thus enabled to turn from one basin to the other.
The Belfry, one of the most celebrated buildings of Pisa, is a round tower built externally of white marble. It is 150 feet high, divided into nine stories by rows of columns. It is generally named the Leaning Tower, from the circumstance that it deviates from the per pendicular line about fourteen feet. It was erected in the latter part of the 12th century by the architects William of Innepruck and Bonanno of Pisa. From the summit there is a splendid view of the plain, the surroundiog mountains, and the sea.