Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

Pisa was of old called Alpheo, of the builders comming from their dwellings neere Alpheus a River in Greece.
Fynes Moryson - An Itinerary: Containing His Ten Years Travel Through .. Italy (in 1594)
Of the multitudes that visit the elegant and tranquil city of Pisa, who remembers her great antiquity? - who thinks of her as one of the most venerable cities of Italy, prior to the Trojan War, one of the earliest settlements of the Pelasgi on this coast?
George Dennis - The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria - 1848 Ed.

"Bagni di Nerone", drawings from "Pisa illustrata nelle Arti del Disegno" by Alessandro da Morrona - 1812

Of the ancient magnificence of Pisa scarcely a vestige remains. Various fragments of Roman antiquity have been discovered on the spot; but, with the exception of sundry sarcophagi, broken statues, and numerous inscriptions, nothing remains above ground beyond some mean traces of baths. Dennis

"Bagni di Nerone" and the walls of Pisa near Porta a Lucca behind them (in 2025)

Some few Roman remains are still visible at Pisa. Of these, the most important are the Ancient Baths, called the Bagni di Nerone, close to the Lucca gate. The Sudatorium (or laconicum) remains entire, and in the form of an octagon, surmounted by a vault, with large niches in the alternate sides.
John Murray - Handbook for travellers in Central Italy - 1861
The baths were built in the late Ist century AD and they were supplied with water by an aqueduct. Their existence was identified in the late XVIIth century and they were "reconstructed" according to the practice of the time. In 1881 the area was excavated again and the Roman walls of the baths were brought back to their ancient aspect.

Ancient capitals portraying Jupiter (left) and Harpocrates (right) and Victories

The remains of the vestibule of a pagan temple may be traced in the suppressed church of Sta. Felice, now the "Archivio del Duomo". Two fine marble capitals, belonging to one of the exuberant varieties of the Corinthian order, are imbedded in the outer wall of the building. They consist of figures springing out of a single row of acanthus-leaves; Jove holding a sceptre with a trophy on the one side, and a Victory on the other; these two latter figures taking the places of the Composite volutes: on the other capital is the god of silence, Harpocrates, between two Victories. Murray
Two marble columns with Composite capitals, probably belonging to the vestibule of a temple of the time of the Antonines, are now embedded in the wall of the ruined church of San Felice. Dennis
Harpocrates is a Greek/Roman version of the Egyptian god Horus (see a statue of him at Toulouse). The capitals are located in a building which is very near Borgo Stretto, the very centre of Pisa.

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa (inside the former Arsenale Mediceo): VIIIth century BC upper part of a cinerary urn and an entire one from the necropolis of Via Marche, outside the northern walls of Pisa (see similar urns at Civitavecchia, Cortona and Grosseto and a bronze helmet at Volterra)

As to the city of the Pelasgi and Etruscans, it has entirely disappeared. The traveller looks in vain for a stone of the walls, which from the exposed position of the city must have been of great strength - in vain for a tumulus or monument on the surrounding plain - the city of the dead, as well as that of the living, of that early period, is now lost to the eye. (..) Yet the necropolis of Pisa must exist; but, as far as I can learn, it has not been sought for. Dennis
A group of tombs was discovered In 2006. It indicated the presence of a Pre-Etruscan settlement to the north-west of Pisa on the site of a harbour on the River Auser (today's Serchio, but it no longer flows in the proximity of Pisa).

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: Etruscan cinerary urn depicting Ulysses and the Sirens (see a very similar one at Volterra)

The only relics of Etruscan antiquity at Pisa are a few sarcophagi and urns in that celebrated sepulchral museum, the Campo Santo. Even these were not found on the spot. The eye, experienced in Etruscan remains, at once recognises them as the roba of Volterra. They were found at Morrona, in the neighbourhood of that town, and presented in 1808 to the city of Pisa. There is nothing among them of remarkable interest. Most are small square cinerary urns, or "ash chests," as the Germans term them, with stunted and distorted figures on the lids. (..) As in duty bound, I have noticed these Etruscan relics; yet few who visit this sacred and silent corner of Pisa, where the grandeur and glory of the city are concentrated, are likely to give them much attention. Few will turn from the antique pomp, the mosque-like magnificence of the Cathedral - from the fair white marvel of the Leaning Tower - from the cunningly-wrought pulpit and font of the Baptistery - or even from the frescoed visions, the grotesque solemnities of the Campo Santo, to examine these uncouth memorials of the early possessors of the land. Dennis

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: Etruscan or pre-Etruscan pottery and bronze exhibits

This city stands in a fertile plain, bounded by the neighboring Apennines on the north, and on the south open to the Tyrrhenian sea. The fancy loves to trace the origin of Pisa back to the storied period that followed the Trojan war, and to connect its history with the fate of the Grecian chiefs, and particularly with the wanderings of the venerable Nestor. This commencement which at first sight appears like a classic tale framed merely to amuse the imagination, rests upon the authority of Strabo, and may be admitted at least as a probability.
At all events the town enjoys the double glory of being one of the most ancient cities of Etruria, and of deriving its name and its origin from the Olympic Pisa on the banks of the Alpheus.
John Chetwood Eustace - Classical Tour of Italy in 1802 (publ. 1813)
Her remoteness from Rome may well account for the absence of historical mention of Pisa during the period of Etruscan independence. Virgil introduces her as sending aid to Aeneas against Turnus - a statement which can be received only as confirmatory evidence of her antiquity. (..) The earliest mention of Pisa in history occurs in the year 529 (B.C. 225), when, just before the battle of Telamon, a Roman army from Sardinia was landed here. Frequent mention is subsequently made of Pisa, which played a prominent part in the Ligurian Wars (between the Romans and the Gauls of Northern Italy). Dennis

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: Ship "A"

Pisa is only four miles from the sea; its port was anciently at the mouth of the Arno, and was a place ot some fame and resort.
"Contiguum stupui portum, quem fama frequentat / Pisarum emporio divitiisque maris. / Mira loci facies!"
Rutilius Claudius Namatianus - De Reditu Suo (A Voyage Home to Gaul in 415 AD)
"Astonish'd I beheld th' adjoining port, Pisa's emporium, and the fam'd resort of riches maritime; a wond'rous spot! Eustace
In 1998 during maintenance works of the railway line to Lucca and Genoa evidence of archaeological remains was found west of Pisa, not very far from Piazza dei Miracoli. The excavations eventually led to identifying a number of Roman wrecks in addition to pottery and other items. Archaeological activity on the site lasted almost twenty years and in 2019 the most interesting findings were placed in the former Arsenale Mediceo along the Lungarno together with other archaeological exhibits of Ancient Pisa.
Ship "A" was a large oneraria, a merchant sea vessel carrying amphorae from Gaul. It is dated second half of the IIIrd century AD (see floor mosaics at Ancient Ostia depicting different types of ships).

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: (above) Warship Alkedo (Seagull); (below) Boat "F", a small river boat

"Pelago pulsatur aperto, / inque omnes ventos littora nuda patent; / non ullus tegitur per bracchia tuta recessus, / Aeolias possit qui prohibere minas, sed procera suo praetexitur alga profundo / molliter offensae non nocitura rati, / et tamen insanas cedendo interrigat undas /nec sinit ex alto grande volumen agi."
"Th's port was protected neither by a mole nor by a pier, nor indeed by any artificial or natural rampart of walls, rocks or promontories. Though it was open to every wind, yet vessels rode secure on its bosom. The open sea beats unoppos'd against the naked beach, to ev'ry wind expos'd: No bay's recess, by jutting arms secur'd. Wards oft the blust'ring winds; but sea-weed tall Is firmly interwoven in the deep. And to th' impinging vessel gently yields; Yet as it yields, it checks the raging waves. Nor sutlers the proud ocean to urge on His huge and foaming volumes."
The cause of this peculiarity was the size and tenacity of the weeds which were so closely interwoven, it seems, as to exclude the agitation of the sea while they yielded to the weight of vessels. Such is the account of Rutilius. Eustace
"Alkedo" is named after an inscription on a rowing bench. It is recorded as a pleasure boat, but in origin it might have been a navis tesseraria, a small warship policing the coast (see a mosaic at Sousse).
Boat "F" was used to move from the harbour to other locations along the river or through the coastal marshes. Its shape resembles that of a Venetian gondola.
You may wish to see other museums showing Roman wrecks at Fiumicino, Marseille and Mainz.

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: the wooden anchor of Ship "A" (see lead and stone anchors at other locations) and a metal "rostrum", a warship ram, which was discovered by Italian Police at Pisa and which is not related to the ancient harbour (see where it was placed in a warship)

On approaching Leghorn from the sea, I have always been inclined to recognise in it, Triturrita, with the ancient port of Pisa. It is true that the modern town does not wholly correspond with the description given by Rutilius. It has now more than a mere bank of sea-weed to protect it from the violence of the waves; it embraces an ample harbour within its arms of stone; but it lies on a naturally open shore; it has an artificial peninsula, on which the Villa Triturrita may have stood; and, by a singular coincidence, there are still three prominent towers to suggest the identity. Dennis
Livorno (Leghorn) replaced Pisa as the main harbour of Tuscany in the late XVIth century.

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: amphorae, jars with two handles

The Pisa of the middle ages is so bright a vision as to throw into dim shade the glories of her remoter antiquity. This is one of the very few cities of Etruria, which, after the lapse of three thousand years, still retains, not only its site, but its importance, and has shrouded the hoariness of antiquity in the gay garlands of ever-flourishing youth. It was colonised in the year 574, at the request of its citizens. Under the Romans, it was of considerable importance on account of its port, and was celebrated also for the fertility of its territory, for the quarries in its neighbourhood, and for the abundance of timber it yielded for ship-building. Dennis
See other displays of amphorae in Rome (with an explanation of how they are classified) and at Pompeii.

Camposanto: inscription related to Caius Caesar (copy)

But the most curious things for an Antiquary's observations are two Inscriptions on Marble, set up in the South Wall of this fine Cloyster: They contain the Particulars of the Honours decreed by the Pisan Colony to the Memory of Lucius, and of Caius Cesar, (grand)Sons of Augustus. (..) In these we see authentick Instances of some of the Funeral Rites observed by the Romans with the Manner of their publick Mourning.
Edward Wright's Observations made in France, Italy &c. in the years 1720, 1721 and 1722.
This burying - place is inclosed with a broad portico, well painted, and paved with grave-stones. Under the portico there is a decree of the city, ordering the inhabitants to wear mourning a year for the death of Cesar.
Thomas Nugent - The Grand Tour - 1749
Campo Santo: Two inscriptions inserted in the walls, containing decrees of the colony of Pisa in memory of Lucius and Caius, the sons of Augustus, and decreeing a public mourning for them, are interesting, as illustrating the municipal history of the Roman Empire. Murray

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: inscription related to Lucius Caesar (original)

The two lengthy inscriptions were discovered at Pisa in 1603-04 and 1606. They provide details about the most important magistrates of Roman Pisa (the duumvirs, the decurions and the flamen Augusti who was in charge of the ceremonies in honour of the emperors) and contain a clear refence to Colonia Iulia Pisana. They indicate that the grandsons of Augustus were to be celebrated by the erection of eq[uest]res inauratae Gai et Luci Caesarum statuae ponantur golden equestrian statues.

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: IInd century AD floor mosaic of a Roman house at Piazza dei Miracoli: (above) a scroll with birds - see a finer example in Rome; (below) geometric motifs with towers of a walled town (see a finer example at Italica)

It is said that two fluted columns near the high altar of the Cathedral came from a temple or palace built by Hadrian and that the cathedral was erected on its site. Murray
In 1985-1988 excavations carried out in the proximity of the Leaning Tower identified the presence of Roman houses in the area of Piazza dei Miracoli. The fragments of their floor mosaics are typical of the Roman preference for a black and white decoration, similar to that which can be seen in imperial buildings, e.g. at Villa di Livia and at Villa Adriana.

Museo Nazionale di San Matteo: IVth century AD Roman sarcophagus portraying the Good Shepherd at the centre of the box and two other shepherds at its ends; it has a decoration which departs from the usual depiction of "strigiles" (compare it with one found in Rome)

This sarcophagus was discovered in 1910 near San Paolo all'Orto in the centre of the town. Similar to many other Roman sarcophagi which can be seen in the Camposanto it is very likely that it was brought to Pisa from other locations, either the Roman towns of Sardinia and Corsica which the Pisans raided or the necropolis of Porto (see a sarcophagus portraying shepherds) or other Roman towns along the coast (e.g. Cosa). Several of these sarcophagi were reutilized for Pisan magistrates or archbishops when the town became a powerful maritime republic. Some of them are shown in the page on the Camposanto.

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: (left) marble pedestal with a relief portraying Harpocrates found in Pisa; (right) fragments of a funerary cippus found to the north of Pisa

A second depiction of Harpocrates suggests that Ancient Pisa was a centre of worship of Isis, Harpocrates' mother. This makes sense because Isis was regarded as the patron of seamen (Stella maris) and many shrines were dedicated to her in coastal cities, e.g. at Sabratha and ships were named after her, e.g. Isis Giminiana.
The cippus brings to mind similar funerary monuments at Perugia and Palestrina.

Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa: Roman (left and above) and Longobard (below) exhibits

Though always considerable, whether as forming one of the Etruscan tribes or afterwards honored with a Roman colony, yet Pisa did not arrive at the zenith of its fame till the records of ancient times were closed, and the genius of Rome and liberty seemed for ever buried under the ruins and the barbarism of the middle ages. Eustace
The Longobards established a Duchy at Lucca which gradually included the whole of today's Tuscany. The Duchy directly reported to the King of the Longobards who resided at Pavia. Pisa maintained its role as the main port of the region.
The image used as background for this page depicts a lion head of a Roman terracotta gutter found at Pisa.

Move to (some pages are not yet developed)
Piazza dei Miracoli and the Leaning Tower
The Baptistery
The Camposanto
The Cathedral
The Knights of St. Stephen
The Walls and the Lungarni
A Walk along the Northern Terzieri
A Walk along the Southern Terziere
Churches of Terziere S. Maria
Churches of Terziere S. Francesco
S. Matteo and its Museum
S. Maria della Spina
S. Piero a Grado
An Excursion to Vicopisano