It seems that for many who visit Pisa, the basic plan is the same. One takes a morning train, probably from a base in Florence, walks the 20 or so minutes to Piazza del Duomo, sees the Leaning Tower of Pisa, poses for a silly photo, and then largely leaves. Some might pay the €11 fee to visit some of the other buildings, like the Duomo (cathedral) or baptistery, or even shell out to climb the tower itself. But then one makes the walk back to the train station, perhaps with lunch along the way, and leaves. And one tends to depart with a rather negative taste.

And so it was for me in 2023 when I first visited. I believe I referred to the experience as a “wasted opportunity” for a city with a storied history like that of Pisa to not do a better job marketing it, to not have better signage, and to not offer other easily accessible sights to visit. (Click here to read my thoughts from 2023.) Suffice to say, I didn’t expect to return to Pisa.

Well, I did. Pisa made a reasonable place to meet a friend from Rome when I was in Genoa, being about 2-3 hours for each of us on a direct train. So I came back to Pisa, this time for about 36 hours. And you know what? I had a significantly better experience! There was some basic signage in the Piazza del Duomo (I do have to allow for the possibility it was always there and that I missed it with so many people around in the summer months), I found a few other sights to see, and a cold and rainy weekend in January meant fewer tourists taking their awkward photos for Instagram.

A quick caveat to the title of this article. While I’m going to focus on things other than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I did of course see it. You can’t come to Pisa, even on a return trip, and not see it. It is stunning, it is cool, and it is smack in the center. I did not, however, pay to do anything more with it or the other buildings of the complex. But it is free to marvel in the square, and marvel I did.

My train from Genoa arrived just after 11am, and I joined the rest of the passengers in heading out of Pisa Centrale station and toward the Arno River, and then one of two bridges (the one toward the west is a bit more of a direct route) across it in the direction of the Leaning Tower, since my hotel was near there. But this time, not being in as much of a hurry, I made a stop at a small church just along the river, less than a block off that western bridge.

Santa Maria della Spina is tiny, literally smaller than a large apartment. Built in 1230, after the city’s true golden age but before its collapse at the hands of first Genoa and then Florence (the latter conquered the city in 1405), the exterior has sculptures from Pisano’s workshop. That stunning facade makes way to a simple interior, with a small marble tabernacle said to house one of the thorns (hence the name spina) of Jesus’ crown of thorns. A relic like this reflects just how important of a city Pisa would have been at the time.

Another ten or so minutes took me to my hotel to drop off my backpack, and then it was off to see the Leaning Tower again. But this time, after taking a few photos, I chose not to join the ticket queue for entry, rather circling the piazza to see what else might be there. And in the back corner, I noticed a sign for the Mura di Pisa, the wall of Pisa. The cost was a mere €5 to be able to walk 3.2 kilometers of the city’s 1156 (building date) walls, and to exit at any of four points along the way, or return here to the Piazza del Duomo. “Ok,” I told myself. “Something new.” I paid the entry and climbed the steps of one of the city’s defensive towers to the top of the 11 meter high wall.

The reason to pay admission was quickly discernible. Even if one doesn’t walk any further than the immediate walls above the piazza, the view from the top is unencumbered, providing a different take on the three magnificent buildings below and the Jewish cemetery immediately outside the wall. And on a chilly-and-cloudy-but-not-yet-raining day, the just over 2 meter wide wall was empty. A short spur runs along the short side of the piazza, and from the end one can see all three buildings in a single shot.

Over the course of the next hour, I walked past two of the remaining three exit points from the wall before returning to my starting point. I passed maybe a dozen other people in total. And while the sights thin out considerably after leaving the end of the piazza (although looking back provides a super cool view of the Leaning Tower and other buildings over the wall), there is actual signage describing some of them.

For me, the easy highlight was the Baths of Nero, a small ruin that one would almost certainly miss otherwise, the remnants of a 1st century Roman bathhouse.

After spending the remainder of the day with my friend enjoying modern Pisan life through food and drinks (if you have a chance to get pici, a thick Tuscan spaghetti, do so, especially with ragu of either Chinanina beef or wild boar; pair it with a Chianti), and an evening walk through the city’s Piazza dei Cavalieri (where the stunning University of Pisa had its start), it was back to the hotel for the night to see what the next day would offer.

Sunday morning began clear, and while rain would come in by lunch, I was able to set off on another long walk to experience more of Pisa’s history, this time from the banks of the Arno. From the 11th to 13th centuries, Pisa was a power, rivaling Genoa and Venice in terms of Mediterranean trade. (It is how the city became so wealthy to build such a stunning cathedral in 1064 (although it wasn’t consecrated until 1118) and its adjacent bell tower (the Leaning Tower of Pisa), which was started in 1173. But as Pisa sits just off the Mediterranean coast, it was able to project naval power from the river.

Here on the southwestern corner of the old city (the modern city of Pisa is obviously much larger), stands another segment of the city wall, along with a very tall defensive tower called Torre Guelfa.

More relevant to Pisa’s status, though, are two buildings made up of covered arches. These were once berths for Pisa’s galleys, which would launch onto the river and then to the sea a few miles away. Today, one is an events space and one houses a naval museum, although it was closed when I passed by.

Another Tuscan meal (the food in this city is remarkably good once one clears the area immediately around the Leaning Tower and its tourist traps), a sandwich from L’Ostellino for the train, and it was time to head back to the station. But this trip, I wasn’t leaving shaking my head, sad at having missed an opportunity to learn. No, this trip I got to actually experience some of the city and its history.

Most visitors will still go to Pisa just for a part of the day. They will rush to the Piazza del Duomo, see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, take their silly photos, and rush back to the train station to go back to somewhere “better”. I was one of those visitors back in 2023. And they will have missed out, just as I did. No, Pisa doesn’t have the volume of museums or sights as Florence, and no, Pisa still doesn’t do a great job of advertising what it does have. But there is a cool city here, if one takes a bit of time to clear the square and its crowds. I am grateful to have had the chance to return to do so.

Like it? Pin it!