Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) in Pisa, Italy is home to iconic monuments recognized worldwide. These masterpieces of medieval architecture – the cathedral, the baptistery, the bell tower (the ‘Leaning Tower’) and the cemetery – were erected between the 11th and 14th centuries within close proximity of each other. They combined to have a great influence on Italian art and architecture from the 11th through 14th centuries.
Also known as the Campo dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), the complex resides on a nearly 22-acre plot of land in the northwestern section of Pisa, a city of nearly 100,000 residents located forty miles west of Florence in Italy’s Tuscany region. The monuments are situated close together on a square that is partially paved but also features a large grassy area in and around the monuments. The green grass contrasts beautifully with the white monuments.
An emblem of Pisan Romanesque architecture, the Pisa Cathedral was designed by architect Buscheto, and its Byzantine and Islamic influences are reflective of the importance of the maritime culture of Pisa at the time, as many of its sailors and traders traveled and brought back with them interests in what they saw elsewhere. The campanile is the bell tower of the cathedral. It took nearly 175 years to complete. During its construction the soil beneath it was unsteady which caused the tower to lean. In its early years, many felt the tower would eventually collapse, but it still stands today more than 850 years since its construction began.
The Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, features a statue of the saint at its top. It is a round building built in the Romanesque style and is the largest baptistery in Italy, with a circumference measuring more than 100 meters. The Camposanto Monumentale is a walled cemetery that features soil brought back from Calvary during the Third Crusade.
For a complete list of UNESCO World Heritage sites please visit https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
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Sources:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/395/
https://www.discovertuscany.com/pisa/piazza-dei-miracoli.html

















