Nearby attractions to visit

Pise

Pisa is one of the major cultural centres in Italy and has a rich artistic heritage still intact, made of monuments, artistic works, museums and palaces now transformed into universities. They remind us of the long story of scientific interest  that lasts since 1343, the year of foundation of the University.

The Piazza del Duomo, also well known as Piazza dei Miracoli, is the most visited artistic centre in Pisa and is part of  the Unesco World Heritage since 1987. There, many tourists can admire beautiful and original monuments of Gabriele d'Annunzio, called Miracles, that are part of the religious life of the city: The Cathedral, the Baptistry, the Cemetery and the Leaning Tower.

The second most important place in Pisa is the Piazza dei Cavalieri (square of the knights), where the Carovana Palace designed by Giorgio Vasari hosts the Scuola Normale Superiore.

Pisa is also appreciated for the spectacular banks of the Arno river. They serve as interesting references for the tourists since along them, they can see numerous medieval buildings. The most remarkable part is called lungarno Mediceo: there, many palaces are part of the Pisa story, in particular the Palaces of Medici and Toscanelli and the church of San Matteo in Soarta.

 

Marina di Pisa is a little sea resort which is located 11 km from Pisa. It can be reached by car, following the "Viale D'Annunzio", the road which follows the banks of the river Arno. In addition to its seacoast (closed on public holidays) Marina di Pisa is also reknown for the place called "Bocca d'Arno", a landscape area paticularly interesting and appreciated by both the inhabitants and tourists.

From "Bocca d'Arno", it is possible to make boat excursions in direction to "Cinque Terre", and to the islands of Capraia and Elba. Along the seashore, you will find beaches, spa resorts, restaurants and trendy pubs.

Between Pisa and Marina di Pisa, in San Piero di Grado, you should visit the basilica of S. Piero, remarkable building which, according to ancient traditions, was requested by S. Pietro himself, when he stopped during his journey to Rome.

 

Siena

The splendid city of Siena is distant 100 km away from Pisa. It is famous worldwide for its artistic heritage and its historical centre which is on UNESCO World Heritage list since 1995.

The most famous square of the city is without doubt "Piazza del Campo": it is one of the most suggestive urban architectural works in the world. In addition to the unique beauty of many of its monuments (the square which hosts the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del mangia, the Duomo and Battistero), Siena is known in the world for the colour of its roofs and fronts, called "Terra di Siena", which makes the city become a coherent, harmonious and really beautiful urban landscape.

Florence

About 80 km away from Pisa, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is considered as the cradle of the Renaissance. It is also universally well-known as one of the cradles of Arts and Architecture.

Florence indeed is the city of Arts thanks to a priceless heritage made of sculptures, paintings, historical, architectural and scientific works.

The heart of Florence is "Piazza della Signoria", a square where the majestic "Palazzo Vecchio" and the Uffizi Gallery (one of the most beautiful museums in the world) stand.

The religious center is represented by the Florence Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, very famous for its gorgeous cupola and its campanile, Giotto's tower, one of the major Italian architectural works.

 

25 km North of Pisa, you can discover Viareggio, one of the greatest and most attractive sea resorts in Tuscany. It is a small and quiet city which presents a particular architectural style called liberty and eclectic buildings you can observe while walking along the sea.

Among the significant monuments of the city, we can mention the Theatre Politeama on the seaside.

Viareggio has a 10 km stretch of beach, 6 of it are accessible from the thermal centres built there; the 4 remaining kilometers are free and part of the regional natural park Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli.

In addition to the beach, Viareggio is also appreciated for a green area full of pines and for the numerous local events organized each year, such as the worldwide famous Carneval of Viareggio. 

 

The Cinque Terre Park

The Cinque Terre National Park is made of a long stretch of the Ligurian riviera, with 5 medieval villages (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore). It attracts thousands of tourists and is listed on the Unesco World Heritage.

Overhanging coasts over the sea, bays and small beaches, thousands of kilometres of dry-stone walls, rural characteristics, medieval villages, sanctuaries and trails along the sea make the Cinque Terre a fancy and unique place in the world.

The Cinque Terre park is about 100 km away from Pisa and is accesible both by car and train.

The Alpi Apuane mountains

The Alpi Apuane is a mountain chain which expands over 60 km along the coast of the Tirreno sea, close to the versilia, Lunigiana and Garfagnana areas. Since 20 years ago, the Alpi Apuane regional park has become a nature reserve, with inside typical villages and a great variety of plants and animals.

The mountains' location and esposure as well as the nature of the rocks allow contrasting ambiences which enhance the territory with the richness of nature.

From the Northeast to Southeast, you can find the summit of the Pisanino mountain, then Tambura, Alto Sella, Monte Sumbra and the Altissimo which borders on another groups of mounains: Corchia, Pizzo delle Saette, Pania della Croce and Pania Secca. Still in the south, Monte Forato and Matanna from which you can see the Turrite Cava valley in Garfagnana. 

The visit of the Alpi Apuane mountains by many tourists every year allowed the development of many trails and refuges managed by the local Alpine clubs (C.A.I.).

Nearby San Rossore which belongs to the Province of Pisa, the "tenuta" is the former property of the President of the Italian Republic, and belongs today to the Tuscan heritage further to a convention signed between the President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro and the Region of Tuscany.

It is part of the natural park Migliarino - San Rossore - Massaciuccoli, which extends over 23,115 hectares between the Pisa and LUcca provinces. Visitors are admitted in some areas of the tenuta, only on Sundays and public holidays, and upon request to the park management, a guided tour can bring you in particularly interesting areas. The hippodrome of San Rossore presents a 1,610-meter long circular track made up of grass, realized by Leopoldo II di Lorena in 1829, and which organizes today prestigious horse races.

 

Lucca is one of the main cities of arts in Italy, located at only 15 km North-East Pisa. It is mostly famous for its surrounding walls of the 15-17th centuries, transformed more than 100 years ago to allow pleasant walks and are among the most preserved in Europe.

The original aspect of the historical centre remains intact and presents various prestigious architectural works, such as the many medieval churches, the traditional and bell towers, the palaces from the Renaissance, and other evocative urban places (the square of the Amphitheatre for instance..).

The main street of the city is "via Fillungo" that gathers most of the boutiques and shops of Lucca.

Marina di Vecchiano is a locality of the Regional Natural Park of Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli offering an exceptionnal site with all the characteristics of the Tyrrenian coast. The 4-km sand beach stretches from foce del Serchio to Torre del lago and is a rare Tuscan jewel still uncontaminated and made up of outstanding dunes.

The seashore is very large. The beach, partly accessible, is usually not crowded.

The landscape is perfect for walking or riding, whichever season it is.