Day trip from La Spezia pier: Pisa and Lucca highlights - private tour

The city of Pisa rises above the banks of Arno, just before the mouth of the river at Marina of Pisa. It is one of the most important cities in Tuscany and it is extremely well-known in the world, because of its famous symbol: "the Leaning Tower".

The Tower of Pisa in Italian “Torre Pendente di Pisa” is located in the city of Pisa, exactly in the Piazza del Duomo of Pisa known as “Piazza dei Miracoli” (Cathedral Square). This famous tower began to tilt when its construction began in 1173. The Tower of Pisa measures 55.86 meters of height with an estimated weight of 14,700 tons and an inclination of about 4 ° extending 3.9 m of the vertical. In 1964 the Italian government asked for help to prevent the Tower of Pisa from collapsing.
In 1987, UNESCO declared Patrimony of the Humanity to the whole patrimonial group of the Cathedral Square. In 1990 it closed its doors to the public as a security measure and after several works of restructuring, on June 16th 2001 opened its doors again.

Founded in 1064 and consecrated with great pomp on September 26th 1118, the Cathedral was built in two stages, one by architect Buscheto, who created the original layout with the basilican body with four aisles and one nave, a transept with one nave and two aisles, and the dome on the cross vault, and one by Rainaldo, who extended the building and the façade. The building was not finally completed until the last quarter of the XII century, when Bonannoís bronze leaves were placed on the central door, which were later destroyed by the devastating fire of 1595, after which many of the destroyed works were replaced and a vast decorative plan was started.

With a circumference of 107.24 metres, walls 2.63 metres thick at the base, and a height of 54.86 metres, it is the largest baptistery in Italy. The dome is clad with red tiles on the side facing the sea, and with lead sheets to the east.

Lucca is a historical city located in Tuscany on the western coast of Italy, known as the city of a hundred churches due to its large amount of historical religious structures. This beautiful town is also known throughout Italy for its fantastic medieval city walls that still encircle most of the historic old town.

The monumental and archaeological Complex of Saints Giovanni and Reparata guards some of the most valuable testimonies of the history of Lucca from the Roman period up to the present day, the product of an important excavation campaign and restoration works beginning in the '70s.

The Museum preserves the rich artistic heritage of the Cathedral of San Martino. It is housed in a complex of skilfully restored and unified buildings including a 13th-century tower house and the sixteenth-century oratory of San Giuseppe and consists of eight rooms, among which the choir room and illuminated manuscripts and the Treasury with Jewels stand out. del Volto Santo, the wooden crucifix symbol of the city. Authentic masterpieces are the gold crown and collar made by Ambrogio Giannoni in the 17th century and the diamond jewel fruit of the French goldsmithery of the court of the Sun King.

In addition to sculptures, paintings, goldsmith's objects and valuable fabrics worthy of particular note are the ivory diptych of Areobindo, consul in Constantinople in 506, the thirteenth-century reliquary in Limoges enamels, the casket in modeled and painted leather from the end of the XIV century, the Apostle of Jacopo della Quercia and the "Croce dei Pisani", a masterpiece of fifteenth-century goldsmithery.

Located in the historic old town in Piazza San Martino, the Duomo is a majestic structure and is renowned for its stunning façade and design.
The front façade features a series of opulent archways and an ornate portico framing the front doors.
Its construction begun during the 11th century and the church was re-designed in its current form during the 14th century Renaissance.
Next to the church, you can admire the immense bell tower that is only half finished – the lower half remains exposed brick and creates a contrast to the white walls of the top two levels.
Inside the cathedral, there are plenty of beautiful artworks and one of the main features is the sublime shrine of the Sacred Face of Lucca.