The Venue of ISSSE '98
PALAZZO dei CONGRESSI PISA
(Pisa Conference Center), Via Matteotti 1, 56100 PISA - Italy
Congress Center - Palazzo dei Congressi:
The blue box pointed at by the arrow
Department of Information Engineering -
Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione:
The blue box labeled E
The Leaning Tower - Torre Pendente:
The blue box labeled T
Airport - Aeroporto:
The blue box labeled A
Central Railway Station -
Stazione Centrale FF.SS.:
The blue box labeled R
A short touristic summary follows
- Much more is found
HERE
TOWN OF PISA
HISTORY
PISA is one of Italy's oldest towns - its origins go back nearly 3,000 years. Etruscan remains can be dated to the VI century B.C., and the town was a frequent port of call for Greek ships. From early times, the life of the township, set at the crossroads of important trading routes, was closely linked to the sea.
In Roman times, it was a municipium and colony, offering a strategic port for Roman fleets. After the year 1000, Pisan ships began to sail Mediterranean in search of lands to conquer, thus widening the town's sphere of influence and establishing colonies in Corsica, in Sardinia, at Costantinople, and as far away as the Holy Land and Egypt. The birth of Pisa's Romanesque architecture and the building of the Cathedral date back to this period.
Later, Pisa waged long wars against Genoa, by sea, and Lucca and Florence, by land. These centuries were nonetheless a time of intense artistic creativity, as is confirmed by numerous architectural masterpieces, the sculptures by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, Cimabue and Buffalmacco.
The defeat of the fleet by Genoa in the Battle of Meloria (1248) marked the beginning of a period of decline, and in 1406, Pisa was conquered by the Florentines. The town rebelled in 1494, but the long ensuing siege ended in the town's definitive subjugation to Florence. Pisa recovered slowly from this setback, and only under the Grand Duchy of the Medici did the town again show signs of prosperity. With the growth of the University, new Florentine-style palaces sprang up along the river banks and in Piazza dei Cavalieri.
The following centuries saw the development of Piazza Santa Caterina, and the restructuring of the Lungarni. In 1839, Pisa hosted the First Congress of Italian Scientists and in 1861, the town joined the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy. In the early years of this century, Pisa manifested strong liberal tendencies, wich, however, were swept away by the rise of Fascism. The Second World War brought suffering and widescale destruction, particularly as a result of the bombing raid of August 31, 1943, and the division of the town into two by the war front in 1944.
Today, Pisa's economy is dominated chiefly by the service sector. Pisa Airport is one of the most important in Italy, and the road and rail networks that converge on the town provide vital links with the entire nation and the rest of Europe.
COMING TO PISA
The Airport.
Daily flights connect Pisa's Galilei Airport with all important national airports, as well as with Frankfurt, London and Paris; in summer, there are also direct flights to Bastia and Munich. The airport is only two kilometres away from the city centre, and has its own railway station.
Railway Stations.
The station of Pisa Centrale, which is an important junction, lies close to the historic centre. The other stations of the town are Pisa Airport and Pisa San Rossore.
Roads and Motorways.
Pisa lies at the centre of a large network of roads and motorways, including the A11 motorway (from Florence to the Sea), and the A12 (from Sestri Levante to Livorno); each of these is, in turn, connected with A1 and the A15. The main roads leading into town are the S.S.1 (Aurelia), the S.S.206 (Emilia), and the S.S.12 (del Brennero).
Buses and Coaches.
The main bus and coaches companies are A.P.T. and Lazzi, who both have a terminus in the town centre.
THE CLIMATE
Pisa has a mild climate; the average temperatures for the various seasons are +7 (winter), +13 (spring), +22 (summer) and +16 (autumn). The coldest months are January, February and March. The rainfall tends to decrease from January to July, and then to increase again in the second half of the year. The rainiest month is October. Winds are usually moderate.
LOCAL ECONOMY
The main industries of the town belong to the sectors of metallurgy, glass production, building, and pharmaceutics. The presence of the University has aided the development of the printing and editorial sector. The province of Pisa boasts important industries in the sectors of furniture, tanneries, shoes and alabaster. In recent years, the local economy has tended more towards the service industries and the computer science sector.
HOW TO GET AROUND
The town of Pisa is not very big, and you can walk or cycle around it quite easily. Town buses may be useful for longer trips. For the radio-taxi service, call 541600 (from 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m.).
SHOPPING
Shops are open from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and from 4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. (3.30 to 7.30 in winter). They are closed on Sunday and Monday morning. The main shops are in the Borgo - Corso Italia area, and in the districts of San Martino, Il Portone, Il Borghetto and Santa Maria. Every morning, a colourful food market is held in Piazza delle Vettovaglie. Shops on the coast stay open on Sundays in the summer. The main markets are held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, occupying the area between Via San Francesco and Largo San Zeno, as well as Via San Martino. The biggest stores are in the "Pisanova" district.
VISITING TUSCANY
Pisa is linked by railway to Florence (50 min.), and to the beautiful medieval towns of Siena (1h 30 min) and Lucca (20 min.).
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