The End of the Siege of Pisa in 1500

In the summer of 1500, the Florentine and French armies besieged Pisa in order to regain the city’s independence in 1494. Twelve days of battles from 29 June to 10 July around the walls between the Porta Calcesana and the Torre delle Piagge served to drive back the besiegers. The 1500 episode has remained rooted in historical memory as a moment when the Pisans showed courage in defending their independence.

On 10 July, the event is renewed on the anniversary of the end of the siege at the Parco delle Concette, where the battle took place 521 years ago. Guided tours on the stretch of wall between the Barbagianni tower and Porta Calcesana will allow visitors to walk on the still evident traces of the breaches made by the French artillery. Exceptional guides, connoisseurs of Pisan history, will narrate those days.

This year’s re-enactment will also include a contest among the crossbowmen of Porta San Marco combined with the twelve Magistrates of the Gioco del Ponte.