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Car Hire in Pisa
Pisa
Renowned mainly for its Leaning Tower, the city of Pisa actually offers the visitor so much more. The city began as a seaside settlement around 1000 BC, but soon became a naval trading port and one of the most powerful maritime republics. Now, Pisa's main claim to fame is its university, founded in 1343, and one of Italy's top schools. However, it is generally the Leaning Tower which is the starting point for visitors to the city. Started in 1173, it was 12 years later as the builders reached the third level when they noticed the lean. Not knowing what to do, they suspended construction for almost a century. Attempting to correct the tilt, the new architect intentionally curved the struck back to the perpendicular, giving the tower its present-day shape. One of the most beautiful squares in the world, Piazza del Duomo contains an array of elegant buildings in the Romanesque style. Here you will find the city's cathedral, which holds the tomb of Henry VII, who was a hero of the Pisans and became Holy Roman Emperor. A museum in the old Medici Arsenale houses the finds from the remarkable excavation of ten ancient Roman wooden ships. Archaologists found the ships' hulls crammed with preserved shipments of olives, cherries and walnuts, as well as personal belongings of the crew. Just west of Pisa is the Tenuta di San Rossore, one of Tiscany's most precious wildlife areas, with populations of wild deer, boars and aquatic birds.