PISA, Wzit. The capital of the Prov ince of l'isa, in Tuscany, Italy, situated on both banks of the Arno. five miles east of the Mediter ranean. 11 miles northeast of Leghorn and 49 miles west of Florence (Map: Italy. E 4). The equable climate favors Pisa as a desirable winter resort for persons having pulmonary troubles. The neighboring mountains (the Monti Pisani. five miles to the east) and the high ancient forti fications (over six miles in circuit) protect the city from winds.
It is defended by a citadel on the southwest. Its streets are quite regular and are well paved. The centre of life in Pisa. which is a quiet town. is the Lungarno—stretches of fine wide quays bordering both banks of the river from one end of tile municipality to the other. Here are tine hotels and restaurants. The Arno is spanned by five bridges.
The glory of Pisa is the far-famed Piazza del ammo with its cathedral. baptistery. Leaning Tower, and Campo Santo, all situated in the ex treme northwest corner of the city. The splendid cathedral, or basilica, dates from 1063 and was restored at the beginning of the seventeenth cen tury. It is a remarkably perfeet example of the Tusean-Romanesque. It is of white marble. varied with black and red stripes. It is crowned by a semi-dome which contain: mosaics on gold ground by Cimabue and others. The faode rivals any in Italy. It is characterized by col umns. arches, and galleries. In the interior are GS antique columns taken by the Pisan, in their wars with their enemies. Among the interesting contents is a handsome bronze lamp suspended in the nave, the swaying of which is claimed to have suggested the explanation of the pendulum to Galileo. The circular marble baptistery. adorned with numerous columns, stands in front of the cathedral. It belongs to the middle of the twelfth century. Its dome rises to a height of nearly 200 feet, and possesses a remarkable echo. The bap tistery contains a Madonn t by Giovanni Pisano, and a pulpit—a celebrated masterpieee—by Nic cola no. The 'leant Ifni camp: nile,or Leaning Tower (q.v.), rises in the rear of the church. the view front the top, reached by near ly 300 steps, is superb, et diracing the Carrara and Apnan Mountai.)-, the cit.), and the blue sea.
Northwest of the cathedral is the quadrangu lar l amp.) santo (cemetery 1. It was laid out in the beginning of the twelfth century. Its soil was brought in ships from Mount Calvary. that the dead he re might lie in truly consecrated ground. A decorative Tuscan-Gothie structure. planned by Gie)%anni Pisano, inclose, the ceme tery. on the outside are numerous flat arches borne by pilasters. Inside, an arched and covered colonnade surrounds the burial plot. Here are found Very interesting and suggestive frescoes by Tuscan artists of the close of the media.val era. Of these paintings the most remarkable is the of Death." There is also a notable Judgment." The monuments, sarcophagi, urns, friezes, memorial tablets, etc., in the ceme tery proper are of exceptional interest. The Basilica San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno, founded by Charlemagne, but belonging in its present form probably to the thirteenth century. possesses a rich facade of yellow, gray, and black marble. Santa Maria della Spina is a beautiful little duffel' in the French Gothic, dating from the same period and built for seamen: It was re stored in 1872.
Among the palaces the attractive brick Gothic Agostini of the fifteenth century deserves men tion, as does also the Toscanelli, where Lord Byron sojourned in 1822. In the Loggia de' Banchi is the present corn exchange. Near by is the Palazzo del Conmne, containing the valuable Pisan archive's. The university, founded in 1335, is in a huge building dating from the latter part of the fifteenth century. (See PisA, UNIVERSITY or.) The municipal museum (funneled in 1593) contains works by Tuscan masters, but nothing of great interest. The Palazzo Conventuale dei Ca valieri is at present a high normal school. The Academy of Fine Arts was founded by Napoleon in 1512. The Cateriniana Library contains about 60,000 volumes. Pisa has statues of the Grand Duke Leopold I., Garibaldi, Mazzini. and Grand Duke Cosimo I., by Giovanni da Bologna, near which last once stood the historic Tower of Ilun ,t.Ter of horrible memory, described by Dante in the Inferno. (See (:11ERARDEsCA.) The house where Galileo was teem is shown.