Cheap flights to Pisa from L1,657*

First stop, the Leaning Tower of Pisa! It’s certainly a sight to see, and its tilt has been visible ever since it was finished in 1372. But you may be surprised to find that it’s just one of the miracles on the Square of Miracles, which boasts a spectacular cathedral and baptistery. What’s more, Pisa is chock-full of charming churches and riverside sights, and the city serves up hearty Tuscan food and wine as well as seafood from the Ligurian Sea, which is just minutes away. Pisa is perfect for a holiday that packs in magnificent monuments, sandy beaches, the unmissable gem that is Florence, all paired with some of the world’s best wines, pastas, risottos, meats and chocolates.

 

A towering Tuscan holiday

Do what you’ve gotta do. Visit the Torre Pendente, the Leaning Tower, and take a picture of you and your friends and family holding it up. It needs it, after all, with its 3.9-degree tilt. That’s better than in 1993, when it was more than 5 degrees off-kilter. Now you’ll realise that the tower is the campanile, or bell tower, of the Duomo, Pisa’s cathedral, which is one of the myriad other sights to behold in Pisa. Some say this striped marble Duomo is even more beautiful than the one in Florence – just don’t tell the Florentines. Fortunately, once you’ve explored the Leaning Tower, the Duomo, the Battistero and more churches, squares, museums and gardens on the banks of the Arno, you can go to Florence to see that ‘other’ Duomo for yourself. It’s about an hour away by car or train. But wait, don’t head for Florence just yet, because there are also sandy Mediterranean beaches near Pisa…

 

A city of miracles

Pisa’s key sights are spread across the accurately named Piazza dei Miracoli, the Square of Miracles. Climb the Tower, which has been leaning since it was unveiled in 1372. Don’t worry, they say that the extraction of 70 tonnes of earth in 1993 rectified the tilt enough to keep it standing for another few centuries. Do visit the Duomo, whose green and white marble exterior and columned interior were the most extravagant, and the cathedral the largest in Europe, when it was completed in 1118, paid for and celebrating Pisa’s victory in a naval battle against an Arab fleet in 1063. Look up for more extravagance: the wooden ceiling, decorated with 24-carat gold, is a legacy from the Medicis. Then enter the cavernous Battistero, the Baptistery, where Galileo Galilei was baptised, and be sure to climb up to the gallery to hear the caretaker demonstrate the double dome's remarkable acoustics and echo effects. The final sight on the square is the Gothic resting place of famous Pisans, the Camposanto Monumentale. Down on the River Arno, notice the 14th-century Palazzo Blu, with its unusual blue façade and ostentatious 19th-century interior. Also on the river, visit the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina, a three-spired, statue-covered little church built in the 1200s to house a thorn (spina) from Jesus’s crown. If you’ve had enough of the old, seek out the Murale Tuttomondo by Keith Haring, an enormous painting across a wall that surprises the eye accustomed to centuries-old surroundings.

 

Hearty food and wonderful wine

To jump right in with a taste of what the fields, vineyards and sea coast of Tuscany have to offer, find your way to the unassuming tasting bar and restaurant Chilometro Toscano. Think risotto with asparagus, almonds and ricotta, or cod with chickpea cream, and be sure to finish with tiramisu that’s to die for. For classic Tuscan dishes from peposo, a peppery beef stew, to a simple pici all’aglione, pasta with tomato and garlic, in a friendly atmosphere, try La Pergoletta, or L’Eremita, the latter located in a vaulted cellar. In Italy you can end up eating an entire meal’s worth of antipasti at a wine bar, a great option in Tuscany, of course. Try La Gallina Nera or Vicolo Divino for plates of charcuterie (affettati misti) and various Pecorino cheeses with your wines, or Sud, where the wines are also top-notch and the food is vegetarian. The wines come from across Tuscany, Chianti Classico and the heartier, serious Brunello de Montalcino. For dessert, Pisa’s speciality is torta co’ bischeri, a rice and chocolate pie, flavoured with pine nuts, raisins and candied fruit. And don’t get us started on the province’s chocolate manufacturers...

 

Choose Florentine glamour

The palace-lined streets of Florence have been filled with glamorous shops for centuries, as have its markets, so save shopping for your Florentine day-or-more trip. Via Tornabuoni, lined with homes of the most noble families, now houses Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo and Armani boutiques, to name a few. For a different type of shopping, browse leather bags, wallets and clothing, plus exquisite paper goods at San Lorenzo and Mercato di Porcellino markets or Santa Croce Square, and don’t be shy to bargain. Antiques are another option, on Via de’Fossi and Via Maggio or at the monthly market near Fortezza de Basso. Be sure to take at least a look at the gold, silver and diamond jewellery at the shops on the Ponte Vecchio, many of which have been there for more than 400 years. For nightlife in Pisa, spend the evening hopping beach bars, starting with Bagno Mistral for a nice meal, followed by Sunset Cafe in Marina di Pisa. Back in town, Chupiteria proffers 250 kinds of shots.

 

Beaches or Florence?

Tuscany has beaches, who knew? You’ll find sun and sand in abundance at Marina di Pisa and Tirrenia, less than 30 minutes from Pisa by car or bus. Speaking of the sunny shores of the Ligurian Sea, you could also head north to the colourful coastal towns of the Cinque Terre, which should be on everyone’s bucket list when it comes to Italy. Walk the path on the bluffs from town to town, and take a boat tour to see the houses built into the hillsides in shades of yellow, orange and red as they overlook the blue waters. If Florence, aka Firenze, is also on your bucket list (isn’t it?), it’s about an hour from Pisa by car or train. Need we list its sights? Stroll the over-400-year-old Ponte Vecchio. Discover the candy-coloured Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore. Pay homage to the graves of illustrious Italians such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Machiavelli in the Basilica of Santa Croce and honour the ancient power of the region in the Palazzo Vecchio, which dates back to 1299 but boasts luxurious 16th-century furnishings thanks to the Medicis. Visit the Galleria degli Uffizi – the Uffizi Gallery – to see Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and works by da Vinci, Raffaello, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. While inland, you could go for a stroll in Siena, the walled town of San Gimignano, or tour wineries in nearly every town.

 

Pisa airport

Pisa airport, officially Galileo Galilei Airport, is just 1 kilometre from the centre, and you can take the driverless Pisamover into town in 5 minutes. There are over a dozen rental car companies operating at the airport in case you’ve got plans to explore Tuscany! At the airport, there are cafés, a wine, charcuterie and truffle-tasting bar, a bakery-sandwich place and a Tuscan tavern serving grilled meats. As for shopping, there are boutiques of all kinds, including sportswear, leather, cashmere, wine and local food items, plus bookshops and a pharmacy.

 

Pisa weather

Pisa is pleasant from April through October, though it can get rather hot and humid in summer, averaging 23°C in July. Winters are mild, averaging 7°C in January, the coolest month. It’s a rather dry climate, with rainfall peaking in the autumn.