Shopping, Parking & Getting Around

Beyond the Leaning Tower, Pisa provides decent shopping, particularly of Italian goods, ranging from jewellery to stylish clothes and tempting food shops. Definitely wander the markets and backstreets, where the locals tend to shop, and look out for antiquarian book stores and sellers of old prints.

Ignore the tacky tourist shops around the Leaning Tower and head to the pedestrianised Borgo Stretto and Corso Italia, the two main shopping streets in Pisa.

Borgo Stretto starts at Piazza Garibaldi and runs into via Oberdan, the so-called Borgo Largo. The street provides a mix of quirky fashion finds and the smartest, big-brand shopping. Above all, the arcaded Borgo Stretto makes an enjoyable stroll, with stops for coffee, ice cream or cocktails under mediaeval arches.

Address: Borgo Stretto, Pisa

Corso Italia, on the opposite bank to Borgo Stretto, links Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II and, ultimately, Piazza dei Cavalieri. By comparison with Borgo Stretto, Corso Italia offers less distinctive shopping but it’s still shopping for all budgets. For books, it’s always worth visiting Feltrinelli.

Web: www.feltrinelli.it

Piazza delle Vettovaglie is an enjoyable daily (mornings only) food market lies just off Via Borgo Stretto and offers a feast of fresh Italian produce. On the second weekend of the month, Ponte di Mezzo is an antiques and bric-a-brac market.

This recommended wine shop sells (and ships) a huge array of Tuscan wines in addition to regional foodstuffs such as olive oil and pasta. They can also do gift packs so make good souvenirs.

Address: Via Pietro Massagni 1, Pisa
Web: www.bacchusenoteca.com

This established art gallery focuses on modern and contemporary art, sculpture and graphic design, with a section dedicated to Pisan artists. The gallery is set on Lungarno Mediceo, one of the most attractive sections of the Arno riverbanks.

Address: Lungarno Mediceo 26, Pisa
Web: www.centroartemoderna.com

Pisa, like other Tuscan cities, operates strict limits on traffic in the historic centre. Known as a ZTL, a Limited Traffic Zone, the area is best avoided by car. The ZTL area includes both banks of the river Arno, from Campo dei Miracoli to Lungarno Galilei and upto the church of San Domenico.

If arriving by car, choose the free car park on Lungarno Guadalongo, the riverside close to Fortezza San Gallo, on the southern side of the Arno. This car park is outside the ZTL zone.

The following city map shows parking and cycling options as well as the extent of the ZTL area:
http://www.turismo.pisa.it/en/itinerary/detail/Piazza-dei-Miracoli/

If arriving by train, then take a Lam Rossa (red) bus from Pisa station to the stop at via Cammeo/Piazza Manin or catch a number 4 bus to Piazza Arcivescovado.

To feel like a true tourist, hop in a rickshaw in the area around the Campo dei Miracoli. For a more authentic sense of Pisa, hire a bike from numerous companies close to the same square.

Pisa tourist board on Piazza dei Miracoli, in front of the Leaning Tower, is a good source of tips on bicycle hire and much else.

Address: Piazza del Duomo 7