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Logistics

Registration

Tuition fees cover all courses and lectures, course material, lunch and coffee breaks during the School and Social Events.

Registration opens at 16.30 on Sunday 14 June at the Hotel Santa Croce in Fossabanda.
Welcome for participants and lecturers is at the school site at 18.00. A welcome reception will follow at 19.00

Social Events

The following events have been organised:

• Sunday, 14 June, 18.00 - Welcome Reception at Santa Croce in Fossabadna
• Monday, 15 June - Social Dinner in the Pisan hills. Departure from School site at 19.00
• Thursday, 18 June, 19.00 - Trip on the River Arno. Departure from School site at 18.30
  

Accommodation

Accommodation will be on the School site at Santa Croce in Fossabanda. Rooms will be assigned on a first come first served basis.
All participants are kindly requested to make thier own booking. The hotel costs of the participants who obtained a grant covering accommodation will be sustained by the school.
Accommodation costs range from 75,00 to 97,00 Euro per night, including breakfast. Students can request to share a double room; the price per double room is 97,00 Euro including breakfast.

Booking form now available.

Travel Information

MAP with restaurants and other useful information.

Flying to Pisa

Pisa has an international airport (Aeroporto Galileo Galilei) which, at the time of writing, has daily flights to and from several European destinations (Barcelona, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Munich, Paris), plus several daily flights to and from the two main "hub" Italian airports (Milano and Roma).

For those who might want to travel to Pisa "on the cheap", it is important to know that Pisa is connected to several European destinations by well-known low fare airlines such as Ryan Air and Easy Jet. In particular:
Ryan Air daily connects Pisa with Brussels (Charleroi), Frankfurt (Hahn), London (Stansted) plus other cities.
Easy Jet daily connects Pisa to London (Gatwick), and Paris (Orly).
If you know these airlines you surely know that their prices are very low, but require very early (online) booking/confirmation and are subject to special conditions. In case you are interested, act now!

The airport is just a ten minutes bus ride from the main railway station (Pisa Centrale), from which all hotels can be easily reached. Getting to Santa Croce in Fossabanda, where the school will take place, will cost you about 10 Euro by taxi. Alternatively, you can get there by bus for less than 2 Euro (take bus n. 13, which will drop you very near the hotel Santa Croce in Fossabanda). You must buy the bus ticket at shops with the sign "Tabacchi" or on the bus.

Getting to Pisa by train

Should you decide to travel to Pisa by train, you can check the Web site of the Italian Train Company (TrenItalia) for up-to-date travel and timing information on trains to and from the main railway station of Pisa ("Pisa Centrale").

Getting to Pisa by car

Where to go and What to see

Churches and Museums

There is an excellent selection of museums and art galleries in Pisa, Italy, with complexes including some important, historic Italian collections of art in Pisa, including painting by famous Italian artists. Exhibitions in Pisa range from large to small and many are located in beautiful Pisan buildings, right in the heart of the Pisa. Here are some of the most popular museums and
art galleries in Pisa.

Museo Nazionale di San Matteo (National Museum of St. Matthew) - Lungarno Mediceo, Piazza San Matteo 1, Pisa, Italy Tel: +39 (0)50 565 047. Located on the banks of the River Arno, the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo in Pisa is housed in the ancient convent of the nuns of San Matteo. There are interesting collections of impressive paintings and sculptures dating from between the 12th and 18th centuries.

Piazza dei Miracoli. One of the most famous and admired squares in the world, it was requested by the city government at a time when Pisa was at its most splendid. It is formed by a complex of four buildings, constructed by the most genial architects of that era in a uniquely recognizable Pisan Romanesque style, which sees alternating rows of white and greenish-gray stone.

The Cathedral was built between the 11th and 12th centuries, but was later subject to various restructuring work, especially after the great fire of 1595. The facade forms a scenic backdrop, with four rows of columns and decorations in colored marble on the lower part. All the external surfaces are emphasized by the horizontal rows of black and white, with a beautiful elliptic dome of clear Islamic influence. The interior forms a Latin cross, divided into five naves by heavy granite columns. The sight is incredible, thanks to the geometric decorations of polychrome marble and the seventeenth-century coffered ceiling. The original decorations were almost all destroyed during the fire of 1595. A masterpiece of Italian Gothic sculpture from the fourteenth-century remains, the beautiful Giovanni Pisano pulpit, as well as the apse mosaic.

The Leaning Tower represents one of the symbols of Italy around the world. Designed as a bell-tower for the cathedral, work began in 1174 based on a project by Bonanno Pisano. It was completed in the 14th century. The round tower is composed of a base with blind arches supporting six loggia tiers that culminate in an elegant bell chamber.The ground already began to show signs of subsidence in 1185 which caused the works to come to a halt for almost a century. In 1990 its gradient reached a worrying 4.5 meters and the tower was closed for restoration work. It was reopened to the public in 2001, after eleven years of difficult work on the building and the ground underneath, reducing the tower's gradient by 40 cm and bringing it back within safety standards.Visiting hours vary from season to season. Tours can take a maximum of 40 people accompanied by authorized staff. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket office near the Leaning Tower or on the "Opera Primaziale" website www.opapisa.it.

The Baptistery. Work began in 1152 on the construction of a new baptistery, which blends well with the cathedral in terms of position, size, materials and style. Construction lasted until the end of the fourteenth-century and included the work of various architects, explaining the Romanesque and Gothic mix in the monument. The shape of the baptistery had to evoke that of the Holy Sepulcher. In the 12th century, Nicola and Giovanni Pisano changed the original building, completing it with a crown of arches and pinnacles. Inside, one can admire the beautiful baptismal font and, near the altar, the pulpit, the work of the great Nicola Pisano.

Santa Maria della Spina. This small church on the banks of the Arno is an extraordinary gem from Gothic Pisa. The name derives from the fact that a thorn from the crown of Jesus Christ has been preserved here for centuries, now exhibited in the Church of Saint Chiara. The church is covered in dual-colored marble rows and decorated with elegant spires, tympanums and tabernacles. The rich sculpture decoration was carried out by important fourteenth-century Pisan sculptors. Inside, one finds the statue of Andrea Pisano.

Church of San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno. This beautiful church was built between the 9th and 10th centuries and is one of the most splendid examples of Pisan Romanesque architecture in existence. It was recently renovated and restored to its original shape. Inside, the church is huge with three naves with heavy granite columns and capitals featuring archaic figures; it hosts various works of art from medieval times. The beautiful Chapel of Sant'Agata is located beside the church. It dates back to the 11th century and has a unique octagonal shape.

San Michele in Borgo It was built between the 10th and 11th centuries in a transition style of Pisan Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The beautiful facade above the trusses hosts three rows of arches, a rose window and a tabernacle with statues dating from the fourteenth century. Inside, the three considerably sized naves are divided by columns and pillars and the church contains various works of art.

San Zeno Abbey Reopened in 2000 following intense restoration work, this abbey hosts contemporary art exhibitions and concerts. San Zeno Abbey is unusual in its curious mix of architectural styles and orientation, as is easily noted by its facade. The facade has an ornate Romanesque geometrical design.

The Palazzo Reale National Museum was prepared in 1989 to host numerous works of art belonging to the successive courts of the city government, including the Medici, Lorena and Savoia courts, as well as some private collections. The location is one of the most important buildings in the city, the official residence of the Medici and Lorena courts, and today continues to maintain the appearance of an aristocratic residence, with fittings and furniture from the 17-19th centuries. The works exposed offer great variety: from official portraits of the courts to historic armors, right up to the Antonio Ceci collection with Italian and Flemish paintings.

Museum of Ancient Ships in Pisa. In 1998, during the works carried out in the area around Pisa San Rossore Station, the remains of the ancient port in Pisa were brought to light. At a depth of circa 5 meters, an impressive series of wrecks placed one on top of the other emerged, dating from between the end of the Hellenistic Period and the Late Roman Period. The Permanent Exhibition of Ancient Ships will be hosted in the ancient Medicei Arsenals, on Lungarno Simonelli.

Luminara di San Ranieri and San Ranieri Day

This festival is held over 2 days, the 16th and 17th of June. The 16th is dedicated to La Luminara di San Ranieri, where thousands of candles are lit up in the Lungarni. At 11pm a celebration of fireworks marks the beginning of the huge street parties of sining and dancing which go through until morning. The 17th of June represents San Ranieri's Day, the patron saint of Pisa. This day is celebrated with a Regatta of the Historical Quarters of Pisa and an all day street market all through the city. During the Luminara di San Ranieri in Pisa, more than 70,000 candles illuminate the banks of the river Arno in a breathtaking spectacle of light. The candles are lit and hung on white wooden frames (biancheria), enhancing the shapes of the buildings, bridges, towers and churches that are dotted along the river. It's an old Pisan tradition that was initiated in the 17th century, but eventually became solely associated with the celebration of San Ranieri, the city's patron saint.

Handy URLs

Currency calculator http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html

Embassies and Consulates: you can find information at the "Ministero degli Affari Esteri" web page (http://www.esteri.it/MAE/Templates/MsgPage.htm) or download the file made available at http://www.stranieriinitalia.it/news/ambeconsfeb.htm.