Private tours for cruisers

Car rental with driver Livorno 
Private tour from Livorno seaport to 
Florence and Pisa

PISA a bit of informations

Pisa lies 13 kilometerS from the sea on a vast flood
plain protected on the northeast by Monte Pisano where
the lower Valdarno joins the coastal plain. The origins
of Pisa are stili now uncertain. Some Latin historians,
including Livy, claim that it was founded by the Liguri-
ans. Others, including Servius, maintain that it was built
by Phocaean merchantS. Whatever the case may be,
Pisa does not seem to have fully developed until Roman
times when we know it was an ally of rome in the Sec-
ond Punic war, a Roman city in 89 B.C. and a flourish-
ing colony in the times of AugustUS.
In 641 it feil under Lornbard dominion and was strategi-
cally important in that it was the first and only port the
LombardS controlled until they succeeded in taking pos-
session of Genoa.
Under the carolingian dynasty it became part of the
marchesato of Tuscany but, even though a subject city,
it was actually autonomOuS enough to suceed in becom-
ing a free Commune at the beginning of the 11th centu-
ry. This was the beginning of an extremelY prosperOUs
period in its history which lasted almost three centurieS.
The city became a powerful center thanks to the control
of the seas by its relentlesS fleet. In this period Pisa be-
came an ally of the Normans and aided them in their
conquest of Sicily. It participated in the first crusade
with 12 ships and founded numerouS merchaiit colonieS
in the East, expanding its commercial dominion. In the
12th century the city was at the acme of its fortunes.
Pisa won a great victory over the Muslim fleet and later
defeated its rival Amalfi. Evidence of this felicitous
period are the many religious and profane buildings
which sprang up in the cìty. Work on Cathedral was
begun and urban growth led to a restructuring of the
city walls. ArtisticallY, too, Pisa became a great cultural
center, above all thanks to the genius and personalitY
of sculptors such as Nicola Pisano, his son Giovanni
Pisano, and Arnolfo di Cambio, all of whom, together
with a goodly group of other illustrious artists, created
schools which were held to such account that they
served as example throughout Italy.
A slow but inexorable decline began with the l3th and
14th centuries, caused by the continuOUS clashes on land
with its neighbors Lucca and Florence and on sea with
its bitter rivais Genoa and Venice. In the 15th century
Florence, ever more powerful, set its eyes on Pisa and
after various struggles and vicissitudes Pisa became sub-
ject to the Medici city. In addition, the building of the
port of Livorno (Leghorn), which in the meantirne was
becoming another rich marine power, deprived Pisa of
her supremacy over the seas and definitely sanctioned
the city’s decline. But Pisa was not a city to be over-
come. Defeated on a military and political level, it
reconfirmed its status as a great city of culture, one of
the most important university centers. In fact it was no
less a figure than Galileo Galilei who initiated a presti-
gious scientific tradition which then continued under the
Lorraine dynasty. In 1860 Pisa became part of the King-
dom of Italy. Today small and self-contamed as it is,
concentrated around its center it is a city rich in cultur-
al ferments stimulated by a flourishmg economy that
depends above all on the activity of the pharmaceutical,
textile and glass industries and by an unceasing tourism.

PISA, the leaning tower

Enjoy a day in Tuscany
discover Pisa, Florence and Lucca

Mercedes S class

Mercedes minibus 16 pax

For more information and rates e.mail us at:
limo@limousine-florence.com 

Official web site : 
www.limousine-florence.com