  
Monuments in PisaTHE DUOMO OF PISA
The Duomo of Pisa stands right at the centre of Campo dei Miracoli. It is one of the masterpieces of Italian architecture and the best example of Pisan Romanesque architecture. Buschetto began the construction in 1064 and Pope Gelasius II consecrated it in 1118. Rainaldo was in charge for the enlargement works carried out in the first half of the 12th century and projected also the present façade. The complex building has been restored several times in the course of the centuries.
Among the valuable artworks in the interior of Pisa’s Duomo are the so-called "Porta Bronzea di San Ranieri" (bronze St. Ranieri’s door) by Bonanno Pisano, which is situated along the southern transept, the tomb of Arrigo VII by the Sienese sculptor Tino di Camaino, the 14th-century mosaic decorating the apse (Cimabue made the figure of St. John) and several frescoes and paintings by Andrea del Sarto, Beccafumi, Sodoma, Francesco Mancini, Placido and Costanzi.
THE LEANING TOWER
The Leaning Tower is the freestanding bell tower of the Duomo. Due to its beautiful architectural structure and its peculiar static quality, it is one of the most renowned towers in the world.
The tower began to lean soon after the onset of the construction due to the loose substrate that allowed the foundation to shift direction. It was probably Bonanno Pisano who began the construction in 1173 and the works went on for about two centuries. This great symbol of civic and religious pride is 56 metres tall and visible from any corner of the square.
The characteristic pattern of Pisan architecture, which is to be seen also in the buildings of the Monumental Cemetery, made of superimposed galleries and arches decorates the exterior of the tower. The interior has the shape of a big cylindrical shaft. A spiral staircase of 294 steps leads to the bell chamber. It is from the top of the tower that Galileo Galilei conducted his famous experiments with falling bodies. The magnificent view from the top of the tower overlooks the Cemetery and the whole town.
THE BAPTISTERY
The Baptistery is a grand Romanesque round building with an eight-sided pyramidal dome. Diotisalvi began the construction in 1152. In 1163 was erected the first of the eight columns coming from the island of Elba and from Sardinia. In 1260 Nicola Pisano was appointed clerk of the works. The Baptistery is clad in white marble and the pyramidal dome is partly in red bricks and partly in white lead leaf. At the top of the dome is a smaller dome with a bronze statue of St. John the Baptist.
The plain and undecorated interior has a notable acoustic, which contributes to create a mystic and suggestive atmosphere. At the centre of the building is the Baptismal Font where Galileo Galilei was baptised. Nicola Pisano sculpted the Pulpit between 1255 and 1260. The deep and realistic figures of the pulpit foreshadowed the progressive abandon of the Romanesque style. The six main panels represent episodes in the life of Jesus and the Universal Judgement.
THE MONUMENTAL CEMETERY
The Monumental Cemetery is a perfectly rectangular building with an internal gallery lying at the northern edge of Piazza del Duomo. It is said to have been built on the earlier burial ground around some sacred soil from Golgotha, the mount where Jesus was crucified, that Ubaldo de’ Lanfranchi brought back to Pisa in 1203. Giovanni di Simone began the construction in 1277.
A gallery runs along the whole marble-clad building. The pilasters, blind arches and human heads decorating the arches are by Giovanni Pisano’s followers. The cemetery was terminated in 1464 and the Chapel Dal Pozzo was added at the end of the 16th century. A fire broken out following American bombings in 1944 severely damaged the building and many frescoes.
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