The walls were built in the 16th and 17th centuries to protect the city from invasions and attacks. Today, the Mura di Lucca is one of the most well-preserved examples of Renaissance-era fortifications in Italy and is considered a masterpiece of military architecture. The walls have a walkway on top that offers panoramic views of the city and the surrounding countryside. The Mura di Lucca is now a popular park and a popular tourist destination, and is used for various outdoor activities such as jogging, walking, and cycling.

This was an important square in Pisa’s fluvian history, a water basin and also the terminus of the dense network of canals that ran through the Pisan plain, where the boats transporting goods and passengers to San Giuliano docked.

Curious Facts and Legends:

-The boats navigated on the “Navicelli Canal”, built by the Grand Duke Cosimo Ist De’ Medici, and was also called “Mills’ Ditch”, because it operated the millstones for the processing of wheat and the pressing of olives.
-The square is also the point of arrival of the Medicean Aqueduct, that brought water to the city of Pisa, and features a fountain embedded in the walls which overlook the square.