Study Abroad Programs in Italy

Pisa is a town in Tuscany, Italy. The origins of the town are unknown, but the Pelasgi, the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Ligurians have all claimed to be the first settlers at varying points. It is claimed by Servius, a Roman grammarian, that the King of Pisei founded the city thirteen centuries before the birth of Christ. Virgil, in the Aeneid wrote that Pisa was a well developed and old city center. Due to a very strong navy, the town of Pisa enjoyed their immense prosperity for several centuries, but their fleet of ships was eventually destroyed by the Genoese. The town never recovered from the loss of thousands of sailors, and then shortly thereafter Pisa and the surrounding area became infested with malaria. Pisa fought many wars with Florence in the 15th and 16th centuries, and eventually it was conquered by Florence. Pisa was the birthplace of the founder of modern physics, Galileo Galilei. It is currently a light industrial center and railway hub. The most famous landmark is surely the Leaning Tower, which is located in the "Field of Miracles", just north of the town center.