Description
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is the square that greets whoever arrives in Pisa by train: a large ellipse in front of the station, where corso Italia begins, the street that leads toward the center.
To make room for it, Porta San Gilio and the walls around it were torn down in 1864. The new station had to be connected to the city, and it needed a worthy entrance. The square came into being in 1866, named after King Victor Emmanuel II.
In the middle stands the bronze monument to Victor Emmanuel II, by Cesare Zocchi, from 1890. Around it, clockwise from the north, are the buildings that give the square its character.
There are the Chamber of Commerce, from 1952, and the neo-Gothic Post Office and Provincial government buildings, both from 1929. The second was originally the Palazzo del Littorio. At the back you can see the church of Sant'Antonio Abate.
From the 1871 city plan the square was elliptical, with two toll pavilions shaped like Janus arches. They were demolished in the 1930s to make way for the present buildings.
From 1881 to 1952 tram tracks ran across it, including those of the lines to Pontedera and Calci, while the city around it changed face. For a short period after the war it was called piazza della Repubblica.
For over ten years the square was a building site: the whole perimeter was restored and an underground car park was built beneath it. The final inauguration was in 2012, and the pedestrian area has grown: today you walk across it, among flower beds and benches, on your way to the center.
On the west side opens the little piazza di Sant'Antonio, known for Keith Haring's Tuttomondo mural on the side of the church. It is a few steps from the station. The square hosts temporary events and markets.
To make room for it, Porta San Gilio and the walls around it were torn down in 1864. The new station had to be connected to the city, and it needed a worthy entrance. The square came into being in 1866, named after King Victor Emmanuel II.
In the middle stands the bronze monument to Victor Emmanuel II, by Cesare Zocchi, from 1890. Around it, clockwise from the north, are the buildings that give the square its character.
There are the Chamber of Commerce, from 1952, and the neo-Gothic Post Office and Provincial government buildings, both from 1929. The second was originally the Palazzo del Littorio. At the back you can see the church of Sant'Antonio Abate.
From the 1871 city plan the square was elliptical, with two toll pavilions shaped like Janus arches. They were demolished in the 1930s to make way for the present buildings.
From 1881 to 1952 tram tracks ran across it, including those of the lines to Pontedera and Calci, while the city around it changed face. For a short period after the war it was called piazza della Repubblica.
For over ten years the square was a building site: the whole perimeter was restored and an underground car park was built beneath it. The final inauguration was in 2012, and the pedestrian area has grown: today you walk across it, among flower beds and benches, on your way to the center.
On the west side opens the little piazza di Sant'Antonio, known for Keith Haring's Tuttomondo mural on the side of the church. It is a few steps from the station. The square hosts temporary events and markets.