Piazza dei Miracoli: the Duomo, the Baptistery, the Leaning Tower and, on the northern side of this marvellous scenario, the Monumental Graveyard. It was erected by Giovanni di Simone at the end of the 13th century, where, according to the tradition, there was the ancient graveyard containing the "Holy Ground" brought back by the crusaders from Palestine, in 1200. the Graveyard was heavily damaged during the bombings of the Second World War; during the following, long renovation works, important findings were unearthed, which are now exhibited at the Sinopias Museum. Sinopias are sketches of the frescoes, made with red soil which people believed came form the city of Sinope, in Turkey (they were probably wrong). The Museum contains a wide range of sinopias made by artists like Traini, Gozzoli, Taddeo Gaddi, Spinello Aretino, Piero di Puccio, Buonamico di Buffalmacco. After the visit to the museum, we can reach the Arno river and, since we will go for a panoramic walk in the afternoon, let's relax, for example at the Amaltea Cafè, on the Medicean Arno embankment.

Spending the afternoon walking along the Arno embankment east of the city is curious and gratifying choice. We leave from Piazza Garibaldi, the centre of gravity in Pisa, and we walk, eastwards, reaching the Medicean Arno embankment, where, soon, we pass by the Church of San Pietro in Vinculis, more commonly referred to as "San Pierino". A bit further away, there are Palazzo Toscanelli, Palazzo dei Medici and the San Matteo National Museum, containing important works of art. Then we cross the river through Ponte della Fortezza, towards the Galileo Galilei Arno embankment, where we can easily reach the Church of San Martino, erected in the 11th century and modified in the 14th century, with a beautiful marble façade surmounted by a triangular tympanum; the interior, with only one nave, contains many works of art, amongst which there are a series of frescoes by Giovanni di Nicola and a Madonna with Child by Guardi. In the vicinity there is the small square where there is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built in 1153 by Diotisalvi under the street level. Another short walk brings us to the Logge di Banchi, 17th-century construction supported by twelve pillars, founded as the seat of the wool and silk market Very close to it there is the 14th-century Palazzo Gambacorti, almost opposite to ponte di Mezzo which leads us, once again, to piazza Garibali, where our promenade started.

We can spend an interesting night, still on the Medicean Arno embankment, at the Pietromani Coffee Bar, probably the trendiest place in town: the environment is lively, frizzy, outstanding... the right place to finish our first day in Pisa.

In order to discover the Arno embankments in Pisa, we leave from piazza Garibaldi, this time walking westwards, towards the Royal Palace.
The back of the building is connected through and archivolt to the Church of San Nicola, dating back to the second half of the 12th century, with its bell tower which has a peculiar and marked inclination ( and whose internal structure inspired Bramante when he designed the flight of steps of the Belvedere in the Vatican and Sangallo when he built the well of San Patrizio in Orvieto). We cross ponte Solferino and we gain access, on the Simonelli embankment, to the area of the ancient Medicean Arsenal : here we can visit an interesting exhibition, recently opened, which shows the life in the ancient Etrurian and Roman harbour of Pisa. It is a permanent exhibition with the findings and the reconstructions of the 16 ships of Pisa found on December 1998, during some excavation works near the San Rossore railway station; the ships were unbelievably intact, and their precious loads were also in perfect conditions.
A website explains the topic of the exhibition, which will be enriched with new objects with more excavation works. After buildings, churches, arsenals and bell towers, we certainly deserve to stop at the Lo Sfizio bar, frequented by young people and students, in the suggestive Hamlet of Borgo Stretto. For those who want to have a break in an elegant environment, we suggest the Caffè dell'Ussero, situated in the aristocratic Palazzo Agostini, and to resist to this temptation would be a real sin...

In the afternoon we discover an unspoiled and precious coastal environment, the Migliarino-San Rossore- Massaciuccoli Regional Natural Park. The park protects 14,245 hectares of lagoons, lake basins, dune belts, sandy tombolos, woods and thick pine woods. Inside, in the typical building called La Sterpaia (the scrub), visitors can see some detailed and comprehensive educational material and buy organic products from the territory of the park like, for instance, the delicious pine seeds and the perfumed local honey. There are also guided visits, not only on foot, but also by bike, or bus, or even by boat, on the Massaciuccoli lake, on horse or even by cart.

We can spend the evening in the park, at the da Poldino Restaurant, in the surroundings of the racecourse, specialized in the typical Tuscan cuisine and in particular, in game courses; guests can eat outside at very reasonable prices.

Pisa is situated in the Arno alluvial plain, between the sea and Mount Pisano. A trip to the sea from the city centre is common; less common, on the other hand, is a trip to Mount Pisano. The itinerary reaches San Giuliano Terme, popular thermal resort on the north-western slopes of the hills which are part of Mount Pisano. The town is popular for its thermal baths which, situated in a 18th-century building, exploit the therapeutic properties of the sulphate-alkaline springs. Amongst the excursions that can be made in the surroundings, there is the climb to the panoramic top of Mount Faeta, or Mount Castellare, whose ancient craters show its volcanic origins, or Mount Serra,
the highest one. In Rigoli we can have a deserved break at the da Sergio a Villa di Corliano restaurant : good traditional cuisine, in an environment made even more pleasant by the beautiful park surrounding it.

We can now reach Calci, a very nice town of almost 5,000 inhabitants, with a beautiful Parish church dating back to the 11th century, overlooked by a majestic bell tower. After a short walk from Calci we go to the Nicosia Convent, whose façade is decorated with a 13th-century fresco. Another itinerary, harder than the first one, leads to Mount Verruca, on top of which stands the suggestive Stronghold, ancient fortress of Pisa. We cannot skip a visit to the Carthusian Monastery of Pisa, dating back to 1366; the large monumental structure contains several works of art and it is the seat of the Territory and Natural History Museum.

On the way back to Pisa, there is a curious restaurant, where guests can eat outside at very reasonable prices, with a wide choice of hors d'oeuvres and a great variety of pizzas, the I 3 Elisei, in Ghezzano.