A tower from 1173, a free cathedral, a Haring wall

Pisa's famous four stand on one lawn, and the rest of the city is a 20-minute walk south to the Arno. Leave the car at the Mover and do it on foot.

1. Book the Tower before you drive

Climbing the Leaning Tower is €20 on a timed ticket, and children must be at least 8. Work started on 9 August 1173. I'd take the first slot of the day.

2. Collect the free Cathedral coupon

The Cathedral costs nothing, but you need a timed coupon from the ticket office. Any paid monument ticket covers it too.

3. Step inside the Baptistery

The Baptistery was founded in 1152 and took more than two centuries to finish. It's the one I'd pay for after the Tower.

4. Walk the Camposanto cloister

The Camposanto, begun in 1277, was the last building added to the square. It's the quiet side of the lawn.

5. Find Keith Haring's Tuttomondo

Haring painted Tuttomondo on the Sant'Antonio convent wall in 1989. It's on the way from the station, so you pass it anyway.

6. Walk a stretch of the walls

The medieval walls are one of Italy's oldest near-complete circuits, though only partly walkable. Check muradipisa.it for the elevated walkway's hours.

Skip the lawn photo queue at noon. The Tower leans just as far at 09:00.

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Cecina, tripe and a café from 1775

1. Eat cecina at Il Montino

Il Montino bakes cecina, the chickpea flatbread, and serves it in a sandwich. Open 10:30–15:00 and 17:30–22:30, closed Sunday.

2. Order rabbit at the Cavalieri

Osteria dei Cavalieri does rabbit with oregano and steak from San Rossore's Mucco Pisano. Closed Sunday, no lunch on Saturday.

3. Try trippa alla pisana in winter

Pisan tripe is slow-cooked with tomato and pancetta. In the cold months, bordatino, a bean, cabbage and cornmeal soup, is the other one to try.

4. Buy torta coi bischeri

This tart hides rice, dark chocolate, raisins and San Rossore pine nuts. Pasticceria Salza sells it.

5. Drink a coffee at the Ussero

Caffè dell'Ussero has served coffee on the river since 1775.

I'd eat south of the Arno or round the market, not on the Tower's doorstep.

Candles in June, New Year in March

1. Expect 100,000 candles on 16 June

The Luminara lights the Lungarni with about 100,000 wax candles on the eve of San Ranieri, with fireworks from the Arno at 23:00. The 2027 programme isn't out yet.

2. Stay for the Palio on 17 June

The Palio di San Ranieri, a rowing race on the Arno, follows the next day.

3. Watch the Gioco del Ponte

The bridge contest on the Ponte di Mezzo fell on Saturday 27 June in 2026. The 2027 date isn't published.

4. Celebrate New Year on 25 March

At noon on the Capodanno Pisano a sunbeam hits a marble egg by Giovanni Pisano's pulpit in the Cathedral. In 2027 it's a Thursday.

All four close the Lungarni. I'd park at Aurelia and ride in.

A tower, a republic and its own calendar

1. Date the Tower to 1173

Foundations went in on 9 August 1173. The tower stands about 56 m tall.

2. Remember the maritime republic

Pisa was a maritime republic, and the regatta still says so: the 71st Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics was rowed on the Arno on 2 June 2026.

3. Count the year from March

The Pisan calendar starts the year on 25 March, at midday rather than midnight. That's why the city celebrates New Year in spring.