The square of the Duomo is Piazza dei Miracoli (the square of the miracles): indeed, four architectural miracles, one linked to the other, have been there for almost one thousand years. The first stone of the Duomo, whose white façade is decorated with columns and loggias with statues, was laid in 1064.
In 1152 the Baptistery, was started, in 1173 the bell tower (the popular Leaning Tower !) and in 1278 the Monumental Graveyard was also built. The visit of the square alone is worth the trip and the whole holiday for sure; to lay on the large meadow and admire the spectacular scenario is also a beautiful experience. Let's no forget though that these buildings contain extremely precious works of art. In the Duomo, once we enter thorugh the finely sculpted bronze portals, we find a 14th-century marble pulpit by Giovanni Pisano, 14th-century inlaid stalls, works by Andrea del Sarto, Sogliani, Sodoma, Cimabue, Giambologna...To crown it all, we reach the Arno embankment and eat at the Sergio Restaurant, where tradition is very important: its cuisine is popular in particular for the tripe à la Pisana, and the"gamurgia", a soup with sparrowgrass, artichokes and peas.

Let's discover something more about Piazza dei Miracoli, visiting the Baptistery, built by Diotisalvi and Nicola Pisano. The latter built, inside the building, the pulpit, decorated with relieves depicting the Stories of Christ, whilst Guido da Como made the finely sculpted octagonal baptismal font. Not far away from the Baptistery, we can also visit the Sinopias Museum , or choose the Opera del Duomo Museum exhibiting, in addition to the Treasure of the Duomo, precious graphic works, holy furniture, illuminated anthem books and archaeological findings. Then... we have to stop for a break, in one of the historical places in town, like the Caffè dell'Ussero, in the 15th-century Palazzo Agostini.

A night at the Verdi Theatre, in via Palestro 40 will be certainly interesting: the billboard is full of events ( Pisa, indeed, has a great theatre tradition and a strong educational vocation; this mix produced, in 1985, the initiative "Before the Theatre", a "European School for the Art of Acting", to which the main Italian and European theatre academies participate today).

We will dedicate the morning of this second day to the visit of three beautiful churches and an important museum. Near Porta San Zeno, which, in ancient times, was called Porta Monetaria, there is the Church of San Zeno, with its suggestive travertine façade and the three-party basilica plan . In piazza Santa Caterina there is the Church of Santa Caterina, whose elegant marble façade is decorated with a rose window. If we walk towards the Arno river, we reach the Church of San Francesco, with the Gothic bell tower with cusps. Finally, on the Medicean Arno embankment, we cannot miss the San Matteo National Museum, exhibiting sculptures made by artists from Pisa, local and also Islamic medieval ceramics, paintings of the most important Tuscan artists from the 13th to the 16th century. Not far from the museum, another important destination: break for lunch at the Kostas Inn, where we can try the mix between the traditional courses of Pisa and Greek recipes (legacy of the previous owner, Kostas, who gave the name to the restaurant); everything is washed down by a wide range of wines.

The day goes on with the visit to the Church of San Michele in Borgo, erected before the year 1000 on a pre-existing ancient temple. Then, we can walk to piazza dei Cavalieri, the old city centre of Pisa and seat, since the 16th century, of the Knights of Santo Stefano Order, who fought against the Saracens. During the Middle Ages, the spectacular square, built where the roman forum once was and kown as "Square of the Seven Roads" was the seat of the annual tournament of the "Mazzascudo". 16-century buildings overlook it (made by Vasari): the Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, with its bell tower on the right, Palazzo dei Cavalieri, or Palazzo della Carovana, preceded by a monumental fountain; Palazzo dell'Orologio, the tower where count Ugolino della Gherardesca died of hunger. Talking about which... in this part of the city, we are close to the Salza Coffe Bar and Pastry Shop. The place, strangely enough, is specialized in the production of the delicious pastry from Piedmont, but it constantly produces new recipes, from the local specialities, like the cake with the "bischeri", ice cream, cold desserts, a great variety of savoury pastry...

A nice idea would be that of finishing the day where it started, in the Romanesque Church of San Zeno, whose interior, now deconsecrated, often hosts marvellous art and culture events, with very-high-quality music and dance shows.

We leave from the western border of the city, from the Citadel, or Old Fortress which is dominated by the Guelph Tower, and what remains of the majestic 13th-century arsenal of Pisa. After we cross the modern bridge of the Citadel we walk along the left side of the Arno, in lively, crowded neighbourhoods, with an outstanding 19th-century style. Not far from here we reach the Church of San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno, which was originally built in 805. It was then bombed to the ground during the Second World War and what we see today is the result of a radical and accurate reconstruction. Just after Ponte Solferino, there is the Church of Santa Maria della Spina, small treasure of the Romanesque-Gothic style of Pisa, originally erected by the river and then rebuilt in a higher position, away from the water, in 1871. We continue our walk on the Gambacorti embankment, with its tower-houses, archivolts and ancient aristocratic residences, like Palazzo Gambacorti, which dates back to the 14th century. For lunch, we suggest you a restaurant that will not deceive you: the Ristoro dei Vecchi Macelli, an ancient environment serving elaborate courses with many original dishes.

The afternoon itinerary brings us on an excursion amid nature and art, with a visit at the Church of San Pietro a Grado, about five kilometres from the city, along the road leading to marina di Pisa. The marvellous church silhouettes with its pure Romanesque style of Pisa on the background of the green plain. The interior, with a basilica plan, is supported by ancient columns built with material taken from other constructions, with multicoloured capitals and arches, 14-century frescoes and early-Christian findings. Finally, if the weather is nice, we can travel for some kilometres and reach the sea of Pisa, in Marina di Pisa, whose beautiful shoreline is between the mouth of the Arno and the Tombolo farm.

There are many places in Marina di Pisa where we can taste delicious sea courses, for instance, at the l'Arsella Restaurant,which owes its already tasty name to the soup of rice with clams, (arselle, in dialect), typical speciality of the shoreline of Pisa.