One of the most famous sights in all of Tuscany—perhaps all of Italy—stands in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa. This grassy expanse is home to the city’s cathedral complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the Duomo, Monumental Cemetery, and Opera del Duomo Museum. The headliner, however, is the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The Basics
Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), also known as Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), attracts throngs of visitors snapping pictures of the Leaning Tower, but the square is home to much more than this iconic landmark. The magnificent Duomo and baptistery are splendid examples of Pisan Romanesque architecture, the Monumental Cemetery (Camposanto Monumentale) is home to a pretty central courtyard and 14th-century frescoes, and the Opera del Duomo Museum holds an important collection of religious art.
This public square is one of the most popular destinations in Tuscany and is very crowded in the summer. Booking a skip-the-line Piazza dei Miracoli tour ahead of time helps avoid a long wait and enjoy priority admission to the cathedral, baptistery, and bell tower. Consider a Leaning Tower family tour if traveling with kids, or pair your Piazza dei Miracoli visit with a walking or bike tour of Pisa’s other attractions.
Things to Know Before You Go
- Even if you don’t have tickets to visit the cathedral complex, you can stroll through Piazza dei Miracoli to view the Duomo and Leaning Tower from outside.
- Ticketed visitors can use the restrooms and store bags and luggage in the cloakroom for free.
- The square is a large lawn area closed to traffic, so a safe place for kids to play.
- A number of restaurants and cafés are located around the perimeter of the square.
- Piazza dei Miracoli is accessible to wheelchair users.
How to Get There
Piazza dei Miracoli is about 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) north of the Pisa train station across the River Arno, about a 20-minute walk through the historical center of Pisa. Buses 4 and 21 run between the station and the square.
When to Get There
The piazza and the cathedral complex are most crowded from late morning through the afternoon. The best time to tour is in the early morning before the throngs of daily visitors arrive.
The Duomo Complex in Piazza dei Miracoli
Pisa’s vast Duomo complex is made up of a number of sights and buildings. In addition to the cathedral, baptistery, and bell tower, visitors can tour the Monumental Cemetery. The complex’s two museums are the Sinopie Museum, which holds preparatory sketches for the cathedral’s frescoes, and the Opera del Duomo Museum, with a collection of works of art that once decorated the Duomo and baptistery.
