Explore the famous city of Pisa on this day trip from Florence by train with an expert private guide. See the iconic 'Leaning Tower of Pisa' in the famous Piazza dei Miracoli, but also soak up the vibrant atmosphere created by the locals and many students who study here, as you wander off the beaten track along the cobbled streets of the historic centre.
On your private tour, you will:
- Meet your guide outside Florence's train station Santa Maria Novella and catch the train to Pisa;
- Arrive in Pisa just over an hour later and begin your walking tour of the city's highlights - and a few hidden gems;
- See the famous Tuttomondo mural by Keith Haring then walk towards the historic centre;
- Hear how Pisa was once a powerful maritime trading destination that rivalled Venice and Genoa;
- Walking along cobbled streets, learn how the city became famous as a place of learning with its elite university;
- Walk past the Palazzo Blu - a modern art exhibition space;
- Visit the pretty church of Santa Maria della Spina (of the thorn) a pretty little gothic church dating back to 1230 that houses a thorn, a relic of the crown of thorns worn by Christ;
- Walk over the Solferino Bridge to arrive at the "Square of Miracles" and admire the famous Leaning Tower;
- Discover why the tower was built in 1173 - to be the bell tower of a larger cathedral complex;
- Learn how it 'miraculously' still stands without falling;
- Admire the other buildings that surround the Tower: the stunning Cathedral and the Baptistry of St John;
- Pass by the magnificent Camposanto and hear about the "holy field" created with soil brought over from Golgotha;
- Walk by the impressively old medieval Chiesa di San Sisto built from a rough-hewn rock in 1087;
- Wander into the magnificent Piazza dei Cavalieri "Knight's Square" the most important piazza of the city after the Duomo;
- Make your way back through the charming cobbled streets of Pisa for your return train to Florence;
- End outside Santa Maria Novella station in the centre of Florence - and where you'll find plenty of taxis.
Famous - or indeed infamous - for an architectural monument gone wrong, the medieval leaning bell tower, Pisa is unquestionably one of the prettiest and most interesting cities in Tuscany.
Just an hour's train ride from Florence, visit this medieval and Renaissance city for your iconic photo of the Leaning Tower and come back having enjoyed wandering around its quaint, historic cobbled streets, admiring its mix of gothic and Romanesque architecture, soaking up the vibrant atmosphere and learning about its fascinating history as one of Italy's most important maritime powers in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Pisa today is also famous for its elite university, as well as its 'miraculous' architecture - and is definitely a city on the bucket list!