Pisa

The square of wonders: in a unique architectural ensemble, monuments of marble seem to float on a carpet of green. The mighty cathedral, the bell tower, the baptistery, and the monumental cemetery were built between the 11th and 14th centuries: a sign of the position of power to which Pisa had ascended since the tenth century. The Leaning Tower is the symbol of Pisa. Erected on what had once been marshland, it tilted soon after construction work began. It was from the Leaning Tower that Galileo carried out his experiments into free fall. The city’s most famous son, through his experiments, writings, and astronomical research Galileo shook the mediaeval, Christian view of the world to its very foundations. On the square of wonders you can sense the advent of a new era which, amongst other things, brought radical changes in the field of art. This film reports on Galileo. It tells of the people of Pisa who saw themselves as the heirs of antiquity. They had a huge cathedral built which soon served as a model for the churches of Tuscany. It tells, too, of the Pisanos, a famous family of artists who studied ancient reliefs on sarcophagi and thus helped naturalism to achieve a breakthrough in sculpture. This was totally in keeping with the humanistic revival. The square of wonders: a unique birthplace.

25.9.2002 | 18:30 UTC |

26.9.2002 | 00:30 UTC | 6:30 UTC | 12:30 UTC |