The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

History

The Origins

The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place its origins in the 11th century. It is certain, however, that from the middle of the 12th century Pisa had a “Universitas” in the original sense of the word, that is, a group of students who gathered around masters. It was during this period that

Leonardo Fibonacci Fibonacci (; also , ; – ), also known as Leonardo Bonacci, Leonardo of Pisa, or Leonardo Bigollo Pisano ('Leonardo the Traveller from Pisa'), was an Italian mathematician from the Republic of Pisa, considered to be "the most talented Western ...

was born and worked. He was one of the greatest mathematicians in history who, through his work, synthesized the spirit and processes of Greek geometry and the tools of Arabic mathematics for the first time in Europe. The papal seal “In Supremae dignitatis”, issued by

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bla ...

on 3 September 1343, granted the Studium in Pisa the title of Studium Generale with various exclusive privileges, making it universally recognised. In medieval times, the Studium Generale was a higher institute of education founded or confirmed by a universal authority, namely the papacy or the empire. Pisa was among the first European cities to vaunt a papal attestation, followed by

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

in 1347 and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

in 1386. At the outset in Pisa, lessons in Theology, Civil Law, Canon Law and Medicine were established. The first years of the new Studium were particularly difficult, although there is documentary evidence that shows persistent academic activity with a slow recovery starting in 1355. The end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century saw Pisa and its Studium heading towards a slow death. The war, which had allowed the Florentines to conquer the city, was so socially and economically damaging that it made preserving even the most essential academic activity impossible.

The Medicis and Galileo

During the first few days of November 1473, the Studium in Pisa began to develop systematically at the request of Lorenzo dei Medici. In 1486, the construction of a building specifically for lessons was commissioned: the building, the future

Palazzo della Sapienza A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whic ...

, still the centre of the present-day University, was placed in the 13th century Piazza del Grano, which could be reached through the gateway dell’Abbondanza. The image of the Cherub was placed above this gateway. In the Christian tradition, the Cherub represents an angelic being with a clearer vision of God, who in turn represents absolute knowledge. Since then, the

Cherub A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

has become the iconographic symbol of the University of Pisa and, in more recent times, the Order of the Cherub is awarded to members of the university teaching staff who have contributed to enhancing its prestige. In 1497, the Pisan institute suffered a new period of decline and was moved to Florence for nine years. The rise to the throne of Duke Cosimo I dei Medici marked the beginning of a new era. The formal reopening of the university on 1 November 1543 was, in fact, considered to be a second founding. With the 1545 Statute, Cosimo managed to raise the quality of the teaching, making the University of Pisa one of the most important in Europe for both teaching and research. The Duke established the Chair of Simples (Semplici in Botany) and appointed

Luca Ghini Luca Ghini (Casalfiumanese, 1490 – Bologna, 4 May 1556) was an Italian physician and botanist, notable as the creator of the first recorded herbarium, as well as the first botanical garden in Europe. Biography Ghini was born in Casalfiumanese, ...

: between 1543 and 1544 the Garden of Simples was founded. This was the first

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

in the world annexed to a university Studium. A few decades later, the garden was moved to its present position a few dozen metres from

Piazza dei Miracoli The Piazza dei Miracoli (; en, Square of Miracles), formally known as Piazza del Duomo ( en, Cathedral Square), is a walled 8.87-hectare area located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognized as an important centre of European medieval art and one of ...

, covering an area of around three hectares with 6,000 cultivated plants and seeds exchanged with other 400 structures in the world. Ghini was succeeded by the philosopher and scientist Andrea

Cesalpino Andrea Cesalpino ( Latinized as Andreas Cæsalpinus) (6 June 1524 – 23 February 1603) was a Florentine physician, philosopher and botanist. In his works he classified plants according to their fruits and seeds, rather than alphabetically ...

, who created the first scientific method for the classification of plants and can be considered the forerunner of the discovery of the cardiovascular system. Cosimo I was still ruling when

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

was born on 15 February 1564 in Pisa. Galileo Galilei is universally thought of as the founder of modern science and the modern experimental method. He was initially a student and then a teacher of Mathematics at the University of Pisa before moving to Padova. It was in the city in Tuscany that he began the studies and experiments which were the basis of his revolutionary theories.

The house of Lorraine

The decline of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (Medici), in the middle of the 18th century, saw the downfall of the Studium in Pisa, which only picked up again with the Lorraine dynasty. It was thanks to these enlightened innovators and reformers that numerous works and the establishment of the new Chairs of Experimental Physics and Chemistry were created. The annexation of Tuscany to the Napoleonic Empire at the beginning of the 19th century brought about the transformation of the Studium into an imperial Academy: the university became a subsidiary of the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, even though it managed to retain a certain degree of autonomy. At that time, five faculties (Theology, Law, Medicine, Science and Arts), exams, different academic qualifications (bachelor, master and doctoral degrees) and degree theses came into being. The

Scuola Normale Superiore The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. It was founded in 1810 wi ...

was established between 1810 and 1813. It started out as a subsidiary of the École Normale in Paris and closed immediately to be reopened in 1846 with the inauguration of its present seat at

Palazzo della Carovana Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. History It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headqu ...

Piazza dei Cavalieri Piazza dei Cavalieri () is a landmark in Pisa, Italy, and the second main square of the city. This square was the political centre in medieval Pisa. After the middle of 16th century the square became the headquarters of the Order of the Knights ...

Restoration and Risorgimento

The period of the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

led to a reconsideration of the organisation within the Studium, but not to the complete revocation of the Napoleonic experience. In 1826, lessons on

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious ...

were introduced at the University of Pisa. This was a first in Europe and the world in general, leading to the renowned French-Tuscan expedition to Egypt between 1828 and 1829. In 1839, Pisa hosted the first congress of Italian scientists, which saw the participation of over 400 scholars and 300 experts in the various branches of knowledge from different states of the peninsula. It was during this period that the university was at the centre of the reform called for by Provveditore Gaetano Giorgini, which saw the faculties increase in number to six (Theology, Law, Arts, Medicine, Mathematics and Natural Sciences) and for the first time in the world, the Chair of Agriculture and sheep-farming was created and entrusted to Cosimo Ridolfi. In the university and in the city, liberal and patriotic ideals were coming to the fore and these reached their peak when teachers and students formed a university battalion and joined the battle of Curtatone and Montanara in 1848. This was one of the most significant battles in the Italian

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

. A memorial plaque in Palazzo della Sapienza commemorates the volunteers who “died fighting for the rebirth of Italy”, while the Italian flag used by the university battalion was honoured with the gold military medal by the Italian Republic in 1948.

The kingdom of Italy

With the creation of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

, the University of Pisa, which now counted around 560 matriculated students, re-emerged with all the faculties then present in the regulations and was acknowledged through the university reform of 1862, as one of the six principal national universities together with

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. The consolidation and expansion of the university, above all in the years straddling the 1800s and the 1900s, had a direct impact on the urban fabric development of the city even though the number of students increased only moderately (891 in 1912). The university gradually welcomed female students and in 1877, Ernestina Paper graduated in Medicine. She was the first woman to graduate from an Italian university and was followed by Cornelia Fabri in Mathematics and

Erminia Pittaluga ''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( it, La Gerusalemme liberata ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade i ...

in Arts. The

reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

called for by the minister

Giovanni Gentile Giovanni Gentile (; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian neo-Hegelian idealist philosopher, educator, and fascist politician. The self-styled "philosopher of Fascism", he was influential in providing an intellectual foundation for I ...

in 1923, further confirmed the university's prominent position at national level when it was placed among the ten universities totally funded by the state. Notwithstanding the aim to make Pisa a great “centre of university fascist culture” antifascist unrest was still alive, both in the academic community and among students. The application of

racial laws Anti-Jewish laws have been a common occurrence throughout Jewish history. Examples of such laws include special Jewish quotas, Jewish taxes and Disabilities (Jewish), Jewish "disabilities". Some were adopted in the 1930s and 1940s in Nazi Germany ...

, the first of which were signed by King

Vittorio Emanuele III Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and ...

in 1938 at San Rossore, near Pisa, affected foreign and Italian students and university teachers severely, as was the case throughout Italy. It was not until 2018, in Pisa, 80 years after the signature, that there was an official and public admission of responsibility on behalf of the Italian universities (on the University of Pisa's own initiative).

The Republic

The physical and moral destruction caused by the Second World War was soon overcome and the University of Pisa, whose matriculated students passed from 768 in 1945 to 1,292 in 1950, was able to lead the field in many areas of knowledge, adapting to the new demands of social, civil and economic life. The faculties of Economics and Business Studies (1948), and later Foreign Languages and Literature (1969) and Political Science (1970) joined the faculties present before the conflict - Engineering and Pharmacy - and accompanied the arrival of the university for the masses (between 1961 and 1972 student numbers in Pisa went from around 9,000 to 27,000). At the start of the sixties, the University of Pisa established the first Italian Chair of Film History and Criticism. In 1969, the degree course in Computer Science ( Informatics) was set up. It was the first in Italy and followed the creation of the Pisan Electronic Calculator (CEP), designed in the mid-1950s and sponsored by

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner and graduate of the University of Pisa,

Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...

, which was the basis for other firsts in Italy in its field. In 1986, for example, the first Italian link to the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

originated in Pisa. In 1967, the merger of the pre-existing colleges led to the creation of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and the Scuola Normale Superiore, forming a system of further education which is of the highest prestige at international level. Also in 1967, during a period of protests, the “Tesi della Sapienza”, one of the milestones of the 1968 student movement in Italy, were compiled in Pisa. This phase of the unrest was particularly animated in the city with some dramatic moments. From the end of the 1970s, the University's Natural History Museum moved to the enchanting 14th century Charterhouse of Calci, a building of priceless historic and architectural worth. The museum houses numerous rooms dedicated to zoology, mineralogy and palaeontology as well as Italy's largest freshwater aquarium and Whale gallery with more than thirty whale skeletons exhibited in an ancient portico.

UniPi today

The Ruberti reform of 1989, which envisaged the statutory autonomy of universities, forced the university to approve a new Statute, whose overall structure was only called into question with the so-called “

Gelmini reform The Gelmini reform (Italian: ''riforma Gelmini'') refers to the set of acts of the Italian Republic – issued during the Berlusconi IV Cabinet – concerning the education sector in Italy. Entering into force during the Minister of Education, ...

” in 2010. This led to the adoption of the 2012 Statute and the organizational layout which excluded the 11 Faculties in favour of 20 Departments. At present, the university is divided into 20 Departments, with around 150 first and second level degree courses, and single cycle degree courses, more than 20 doctoral courses, 50 schools of specialisation and more than 60 postgraduate courses. There are more than 1,500 members of teaching staff and a slightly higher number of administrative personnel, technicians, foreign language assistants and librarians. There are around 50,000 students enrolled, and in a city with a population of approximately 90,000 inhabitants, this makes Pisa a true city campus. The students come mainly from

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

and

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

, with a significant intake from many other regions, above all from the south of Italy. A sizeable number of the students are also foreign, contributing to the open, lively, multicultural nature of the city. Thanks to the traditions and high quality of studies, the vocation for research and innovation, the presence of a system formed by the Scuola Normale Superiore, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and important research centres, the University of Pisa boasts an excellent reputation both in Italy and in Europe, as can be seen in the various international rankings which place it among the best universities in the world and at the top in Italy. Among the many graduates of the University of Pisa are the Nobel Prize winners

Giosuè Carducci Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...

and

Carlo Rubbia Carlo Rubbia (born 31 March 1934) is an Italian particle physicist and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with Simon van der Meer for work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN. Early life and educa ...

, holders of the Field Medal for Mathematics,

Enrico Bombieri Enrico Bombieri (born 26 November 1940, Milan) is an Italian mathematician, known for his work in analytic number theory, Diophantine geometry, complex analysis, and group theory. Bombieri is currently Professor Emeritus in the School of Mathem ...

and

Alessio Figalli Alessio Figalli (; born 2 April 1984) is an Italian mathematician working primarily on calculus of variations and partial differential equations. He was awarded the Prix and in 2012, the EMS Prize in 2012, the Stampacchia Medal in 2015, the ...

, Presidents of the Republic,

Giovanni Gronchi Giovanni Gronchi, (; 10 September 1887 – 17 October 1978) was an Italian politician from Christian Democracy who served as the president of Italy from 1955 to 1962 and was marked by a controversial and failed attempt to bring about an "open ...

and

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006. Biography Education Ciampi was born i ...

, film directors

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was awa ...

and Paolo and

Vittorio Taviani Paolo Taviani (; born 8 November 1931) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on film productions. At the C ...

and writers

Tiziano Terzani Tiziano Terzani (; 14 September 1938 – 28 July 2004) was an Italian journalist and writer, best known for his extensive knowledge of 20th century East Asia and for being one of the very few western reporters to witness both the fall of Saigon ...

and

Antonio Tabucchi Antonio Tabucchi (; 24 September 1943 – 25 March 2012) was an Italian writer and academic who taught Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy. Deeply in love with Portugal, he was an expert, critic and translator of ...

. Pisa's most famous graduate in the world today is the tenor

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...

Organization and administration

The University of Pisa consists of 20 departments. These departments offers several courses in their related field of study: * Civil and Industrial Engineering *

Economics and Management Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

* Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering *

Information Engineering Information engineering is the engineering discipline that deals with the generation, distribution, analysis, and use of information, data, and knowledge in systems. The field first became identifiable in the early 21st century. The component ...

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

* Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry *

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Earth Sciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four sphere ...

* Clinical and Experimental Medicine * Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine * Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery *

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

* Humanities Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge * Philology, Literature and Linguistics *

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

* Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences * Veterinary Sciences PhD studies are usually offered and arranged by the departments. The lectures are mostly given in Italian, except for a number of courses at the faculty of foreign languages and literature, some scientific programmes, such as the international MSc in aerospace engineering ( EuMAS), Master in Business Informatics, the Master of Science in Space Engineering and the Master in Computer Science and Networking, jointly offered with Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. Students also have at their disposal a language centre, where they can attend courses in foreign languages, a sports centre (''Cus Pisa'') that arranges for many sports intramural leagues and allows sports practice in almost all the disciplines available in Italy, and six university refectories (''Mense universitarie''). The University of Pisa is not organized in the form of one unique campus, but rather its many buildings are scattered throughout the whole Pisa area, especially in the city centre.

Libraries

Th
University Library System
(

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Sistema Bibliotecario di Ateneo'', SBA) consists of 15 libraries and th
General Archive of the University
* Polo 1
Agriculture
(AGR) * Polo 1
Economics
(ECO) * Polo
Veterinary Medicine
(VET) * Polo 2
Law
(IUS) * Polo 2
Political Science
(SPO) * Polo 3
Chemistry
(CHI) * Polo 3
Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics
(MIF) * Polo 3
Natural and Environmental Sciences
(SNA) * Polo 4
Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy
(MED) * Polo 5
Engineering
(ING) * Polo 6
English Studies
(LM2) * Polo 6
Ancient Cultures, Linguistic, Germanic and Slavic Studies
(ANT) * Polo 6
Philosophy and History
(FIL) * Polo 6
Italian studies and Romance Philology
(LM1) * Polo 6
History of Arts
(STA). UniPi Museo Storia Naturale Calci2

Museums

The �
Museums of University of Pisa
�� (Italian: ''Sistema Museale d’Ateneo'', SMA) is a network of nine structures in addition to th
Natural History Museum
which is located in

Calci Calci is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about east of Pisa. Government ; ''Frazioni'' The main settlement is the municipal seat of La Pieve; the rest of ...

, a few kilometers from Pisa.
Egyptological Collections “Edda Bresciani”

Collection of Plaster Casts and Antiquities

Museum of Pathological Anatomy

Museum of Human Anatomy “Filippo Civinini”

Veterinary Anatomy Museum

Museum of Graphics

Museum of Computing Machinery

Museum of Physics Instruments

Botanic Garden

Rankings

*In 2011, the University of Pisa came in first place among the Italian universities, according to the

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ...

and within the best 30 universities in Europe.Le università di Pisa e Siena tra i primi 500 atenei al mondo
at

La Nazione ''La Nazione'' is one of the oldest regional newspapers in Italy, and was established on 8 July 1859. The paper is based in Florence. History and profile ''La Nazione'' was founded by Bettino Ricasoli, interim head of the Tuscan government. Th ...

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...

ranks University of Pisa among the 350 best world universities. * Times Higher Education Europe Teaching Rankings ranks University of Pisa among the top 100 European Universities for teaching. *

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

ranks University of Pisa in the world's top 100 for Computer Science & Information Systems, Physics & Astronomy, Mathematics, Classics & Ancient History, Library & Information Management. *The U.S. News & World Report places the University of Pisa among the world's 300 best universities.U.S. News & World Report College and University rankings 2011
/ref> * Th
European Research Ranking
a ranking based on publicly available data from the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

database, puts the University of Pisa among the best in Italy and the best performing European research institutions.European Research Ranking 2010
/ref>

Notable people

Alumni

Notable people who have attended the University of Pisa include: In politics and government: * Italian political leaders **

Giacomo Acerbo Giacomo Acerbo, Baron of Aterno (25 July 1888 – 9 January 1969) was an Italian economist and politician who drafted the Acerbo Law. Early life He was born to an old family of the local nobility of Loreto Aprutino. He was educated in Pi ...

Giuliano Amato Giuliano Amato (; born 13 May 1938) is an Italian politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Italy, first from 1992 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2001. Later, he was Vice President of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted t ...

Sandro Bondi Sandro Bondi (born 14 May 1959) is an Italian politician. He served as minister of culture from 2008 to 2011, in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet. Biography Bondi was born in Fivizzano, province of Massa-Carrara, Italy. He first attended school at Lau ...

Maria Chiara Carrozza Maria Chiara Carrozza (born 16 September 1965) is an Italian physicist, engineer and politician. She was Minister of Education, University and Research between April 2013 and February 2014 in the Letta Cabinet. She has been president of the Nati ...

Massimo D'Alema Massimo D'Alema (; born 20 April 1949) is an Italian politician and journalist who was the 53rd prime minister of Italy from 1998 to 2000. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2008. D'Alema also serv ...

Guido Buffarini Guidi Guido Buffarini Guidi (17 August 1895 – 10 July 1945) was an Italian army officer and politician, executed for war crimes in 1945. Biography Buffarini Guidi was born in Pisa in 1895. When Italy entered World War I, he volunteered in an ...

Enrico Letta Enrico Letta (; born 20 August 1966) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014, leading a grand coalition of centre-left and centre-right parties. Since March 2021, Letta has been secretary ...

Antonio Maccanico Antonio Maccanico (4 August 1924 – 23 April 2013) was an Italian constitutional specialist and social liberal politician, who served in various capacities in the parliament and federal administrations of Italy. Early life and education Maccani ...

Fabio Mussi Fabio Mussi (born 22 January 1948) is an Italian politician, formerly Minister of University and Research in the Prodi II Cabinet. A former member of the Italian Communist Party and then Democrats of the Left, he became a lead founding member o ...

Alessandro Natta Alessandro Natta (7 January 1918 – 23 May 2001), was an Italian politician and secretary of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) from 1984 to 1988. Before and during the World War Born in Oneglia, Natta attended the Scuola Normale Superiore ...

Marcello Pera Marcello Pera (; born 28 January 1943
.) is an Italian

** Enrico Rossi **

Carlo Sforza Count Carlo Sforza (24 January 1872 – 4 September 1952) was an Italian diplomat and anti-fascist politician. Life and career Sforza was born at Lucca, the second son of Count Giovanni Sforza (1846-1922), an archivist and noted historia ...

Sidney Sonnino Sidney Costantino, Baron Sonnino (11 March 1847 – 24 November 1922) was an Italian statesman, 19th prime minister of Italy and twice served briefly as one, in 1906 and again from 1909 to 1910. In 1901, he founded a new major newspaper, '' Il Gio ...

Paolo Emilio Taviani Paolo Emilio Taviani (6 November 1912 – 18 June 2001) was an Italian political leader, economist, and historian of the career of Christopher Columbus. He was a partisan leader in Liguria, a Gold Medal of the Resistance, then a member of the C ...

* Foreign political leaders ** Deputy Prime Minister of Albania

Spiro Koleka Spiro Koleka (7 July 1908 – 22 August 2001) was an important Albanian statesman, communist politician and a high-ranking military officer during World War II. He was a civil engineer by profession. Spiro Koleka served as a parliament member i ...

** Ambassador

Marcello Spatafora Marcello Spatafora (born 30 July 1941) is a retired Italian diplomat, former Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations. Career Marcello Spatafora was born in Innsbruck, Austria. He studied law at the University of Pisa, at the pres ...

** Prime Ministers of Greece

Ioannis Kolettis Ioannis Kolettis (; died 17 September 1847) was a Greek politician who played a significant role in Greek affairs from the Greek War of Independence through the early years of the Greek Kingdom, including as Minister to France and serving twic ...

and Diomidis Kyriakos ** Haitian President

René Préval René Garcia Préval (; 17 January 1943 – 3 March 2017) was a Haitian politician and agronomist who served twice as President of Haiti; once from early 1996 to early 2001, and again from mid 2006 to mid 2011. He was also Prime Minister from ...

** Nicaraguan President Adan Cardenas ** Prime Minister of Somalia

Ali Mohammed Ghedi Ali Mohammed Gedi ( so, Cali Maxamed Geeddi, ar, علي محمد جيدي) (born 2 October 1952), popularly known as Ali Gedi, was the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia from 2004 to 2007. He was relatively un ...

In theology: * Archbishop

Giovanni Battista Rinuccini Giovanni Battista Rinuccini (1592–1653) was an Italian Roman Catholic archbishop in the mid-seventeenth century. He was a noted legal scholar and became chamberlain to Pope Gregory XV. In 1625 Pope Urban VIII made him the Archbishop of Fermo ...

* Cardinals ** Benedetto Accolti the Younger **

Pietro Accolti Pietro Accolti (15 March 1455 – 11 December 1532), known as the "cardinal of Ancona", was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and judge of the Roman Rota. Life He was born in Florence on 15 March 1455, the son of the famous jurist Benedetto Accol ...

** Francesco Barberini ** Cesare Borgia **

Giovanni Antonio Guadagni Giovanni Antonio Guadagni (14 September 1674 – 15 January 1759) – in religion Giovanni Antonio di San Bernardo – was an Italian cardinal and a professed member from the Discalced Carmelites. His rise in the ranks became rapid after his ...

** Francisco de Remolins ** Francesco Martelli **

Bandino Panciatici Bandino Panciatici (10 July 1629 – 21 April 1718) as a Roman Catholic cardinal from 1690 to 1718. Biography Bandino Panciatici was born in Florence on July 10, 1629. He came from a Pistoian noble family, and was a relative of Pope Clement IX ...

Raffaele Riario Raffaele Sansoni Galeoti Riario (3 May 1461 – 9 July 1521) was an Italian Cardinal of the Renaissance, mainly known as the constructor of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and the person who invited Michelangelo to Rome. He was a patron of the ...

Giovanni Battista Tolomei Giovanni Battista Tolomei, S.J., (3 December 1653 – 19 January 1726) was an Italian Jesuit priest, theologian, and cardinal. Life Tolomei was born of noble parentage at the ancestral castle of the Counts of Capraia ( la, Camberaia) in the ...

* Popes **

Clement IX Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Biography Ear ...

Clement XII Pope Clement XII ( la, Clemens XII; it, Clemente XII; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the ...

Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...

Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As p ...

* Chief Rabbi

Elio Toaff Elio Toaff (30 April 1915 – 19 April 2015) was the Chief Rabbi of Rome from 1951 to 2002. He served as a rabbi in Venice from 1947, and in 1951 became the Chief Rabbi of Rome. Early life Toaff was born in Livorno in 1915, the son of the city ...

* Minister Angus Morrison In science: * Astrophysicists **

Paolo Farinella Paolo Farinella (13 January 1953 – 25 March 2000) was an Italian scientist very active in the field of planetary science and in particular in the study of asteroids and small bodies of the Solar System. Biography Paolo Farinella was born on ...

Franco Pacini Franco Pacini (10 May 1939 – 25 January 2012) was an Italian astrophysicist and professor at the University of Florence. He carried out research, mostly in High Energy Astrophysics, in Italy, France, United States and at the European Souther ...

** Viviana Acquaviva * Biophysicist Clara Franzini-Armstrong * Botanist

Giovanni Arcangeli Giovanni Arcangeli (18 July 1840 – 16 July 1921) was an Italian botanist from Florence. In 1862 he earned his degree in natural sciences from the University of Pisa, where he later became an instructor and professor. In 1880 he was a professor ...

* Geneticist

Guido Pontecorvo Guido Pellegrino Arrigo Pontecorvo FRS FRSE (29 November 1907 – 25 September 1999) was an Italian-born Scottish geneticist. Life Guido Pontecorvo was born on 29 November 1907 in Pisa into a family of wealthy Italian industrialists. He was on ...

(1907–1999) * Mathematicians **

Aldo Andreotti Aldo Andreotti (15 March 1924 – 21 February 1980) was an Italian mathematician who worked on algebraic geometry, on the theory of functions of several complex variables and on partial differential operators. Notably he proved the Andreotti– ...

Enrico Betti Enrico Betti Glaoui (21 October 1823 – 11 August 1892) was an Italian mathematician, now remembered mostly for his 1871 paper on topology that led to the later naming after him of the Betti numbers. He worked also on the theory of equations, giv ...

** Vincenzo Brunacci **

Cesare Burali-Forti Cesare Burali-Forti (13 August 1861 – 21 January 1931) was an Italian mathematician, after whom the Burali-Forti paradox is named. Biography Burali-Forti was born in Arezzo, and was an assistant of Giuseppe Peano in Turin from 1894 to 18 ...

Bonaventura Cavalieri Bonaventura Francesco Cavalieri ( la, Bonaventura Cavalerius; 1598 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian mathematician and a Jesuate. He is known for his work on the problems of optics and motion, work on indivisibles, the precursors of in ...

Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja (1 January 1803 – 28 September 1869) was an Italian count and mathematician, who became known for his love and subsequent theft of ancient and precious manuscripts. Appointed the Inspector of Libraries i ...

Giovanni Ceva Giovanni Ceva (September 1, 1647 – May 13, 1734) was an Italian mathematician widely known for proving Ceva's theorem in elementary geometry. His brother, Tommaso Ceva was also a well-known poet and mathematician. Life Ceva received his educa ...

Luigi Fantappiè Luigi Fantappiè (15 September 1901 – 28 July 1956) was an Italian mathematician, known for work in mathematical analysis and for creating the theory of analytic functionals: he was a student and follower of Vito Volterra. Later in life, he pro ...

, winner of the 2018

Fields Medal The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place every four years. The name of the award ho ...

Guido Fubini Guido Fubini (19 January 1879 – 6 June 1943) was an Italian mathematician, known for Fubini's theorem and the Fubini–Study metric. Life Born in Venice, he was steered towards mathematics at an early age by his teachers and his father, wh ...

Christopher Hacon Christopher Derek Hacon (born 14 February 1970) is a mathematician with British, Italian and US nationalities. He is currently distinguished professor of mathematics at the University of Utah where he holds a Presidential Endowed Chair. His res ...

** Giuseppe Lauricella **

Salvatore Pincherle Salvatore Pincherle (March 11, 1853 – July 10, 1936) was an Italian mathematician. He contributed significantly to (and arguably helped to found) the field of functional analysis, established the Italian Mathematical Union (Italian: "''Unio ...

Ferdinando Pio Rosellini Ferdinando Pio Rosellini (1814–1872) was an Italian mathematician and botanist. Life and work The son of a wealthy family of merchants of Pescia, his elder brother was the Egyptologist Ippolito Rosellini. He studied mathematics at the Univer ...

Giovanni Salvemini Giovanni Francesco Mauro Melchiorre Salvemini di Castiglione FRS (15 January 1708 in Castiglione del Valdarno – 11 October 1791 in Berlin) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer. Life Salvemini was born on 15 January 1708 in Castiglion ...

Carlo Somigliana Carlo Somigliana (20 September 1860 – 20 June 1955) was an Italian mathematician and a classical mathematical physicist, faithful member of the school of Enrico Betti and Eugenio Beltrami. He made important contributions to linear elasticity: ...

Vito Volterra Vito Volterra (, ; 3 May 1860 – 11 October 1940) was an Italian mathematician and physicist, known for his contributions to mathematical biology and integral equations, being one of the founders of functional analysis. Biography Born in An ...

** Guido Zappa * Neuroscientist

Emilio Bizzi Emilio Bizzi (born February 22, 1933) is a neuroscientist and Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is an investigator of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and a faculty member in the Department of Brain an ...

* Physicians **

Vincenzo Chiarugi Vincenzo Chiarugi (1759–1820) was an Italian physician who helped introduce humanitarian reforms to the psychiatric hospital care of people with mental disorders. His early part in a movement towards moral treatment was relatively overlooked unt ...

Paolo Macchiarini Paolo Macchiarini (born 22 August 1958) is a Swiss-born Italian thoracic surgeon and former regenerative medicine researcher who became known for research fraud and manipulative behavior. He has been convicted of research-related crimes in Ita ...

** Francesco Redi * Physicists **

Adolfo Bartoli Adolfo Bartoli (19 March 1851 – 18 July 1896) was an Italian physicist, who is best known for introducing the concept of radiation pressure from thermodynamical considerations. Born in Florence, Bartoli studied physics and mathematics at the Un ...

** Temistocle Calzecchi-Onesti **

Ennio Candotti Ennio Candotti (born 1942 in Rome, Italy) is a Brazilian physicist and scientific leader. He studied physics at the University of São Paulo, in São Paulo, from 1960 to 1964, and also at the University of Naples, in Naples, Italy (1970–71). F ...

Nello Carrara Nello Carrara (19 February 1900 – 5 June 1993) was an Italian physicist and founder of the Electromagnetic Wave Research Institute. He researched X-rays and was a pioneer of radar, but is best known for coining the term "microwave". Bio ...

(1901–1954), winner of the 1938

Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

** Luca Gammaitoni **

Antonio Pacinotti Antonio Pacinotti (17 June 1841 – 24 March 1912) was an Italian physicist, who was Professor of Physics at the University of Pisa. Biography Pacinotti was born in Pisa, where he also died. He was the son of Luigi Pacinotti and Caterina ...

** Eligio Perucca ** Luigi Puccianti ** Franco Rasetti ** Vasco Ronchi **

(1934–), co-winner of the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics In other fields: * Egyptologists Sergio Donadoni, Edda Bresciani, Gianluca Miniaci and Ippolito Rosellini * Fashion model Tania Bambaci * Film directors

, Paolo Virzì and Simone Rapisarda Casanova * Historians Carlo Ginzburg, Camillo Porzio, and Mario Rosa * Librettist Giacinto Andrea Cicognini * Philologist Gian Biagio Conte * Philosophers ** Francesco Cattani da Diacceto ** Aldo Gargani **

** Anna Camaiti Hostert ** Eufrosin Poteca ** Jiyuan Yu * Physiologist Hugo Kronecker (1839–1914) * Tenors

and Francesco Rasi Notable people who have attended the University of Pisa include: * Agronomist Nazareno Strampelli * Anatomist Atto Tigri * Art historian and curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev * Civil engineer Henry Willey Reveley * Civil servant Bruno Ferrante * Computer scientists ** Elisa Bertino ** Luca Cardelli ** Roberto Di Cosmo ** Luca Passani * Diplomat Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo * Economists Luigi Bodio and Paolo Malanima * Engineer Giacinto Morera * Intellectual Adriano Sofri * International civil servant Francesco Cappè * Journalists Lando Ferretti and

* Jurists ** Giuseppe Averani ** Piero Calamandrei ** Francesco Carrara (jurist), Francesco Carrara ** Antonio Cassese ** Italian Constitutional Court Judge Sabino Cassese ** Giovanni Lami ** Miguel Ángel Arroyo ** Remus Opreanu * Linguists Stefano Arduini and Luigi Rizzi (linguist), Luigi Rizzi * Nobel Laureate in Literature

* Managers Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Luca Desiata * Naturalist Gaetano Savi * Physician François Carlo Antommarchi * Poets ** Vincenzo da Filicaja ** Giovanni Battista Guarini ** Mauro Nervi * Psychiatrist Silvano Arieti * Racing car and engine designer Carlo Chiti * Surgeon Andrea Vaccá Berlinghieri * Writers ** Pietro Citati ** Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi ** Margaret King **

* Zoologist Enrico Hillyer Giglioli

Faculty and staff

Prominent scholars who have taught at the University of Pisa include: In science: * Anatomists Lorenzo Bellini and Marcello Malpighi * Chemist Robert Schiff * Computer scientist Egon Börger * Engineer **Corradino D'Ascanio **Sami Barmada * Mathematicians ** Eugenio Beltrami **

** Giovanni Alfonso Borelli ** Sergio Campanato ** Benedetto Castelli ** Corrado De Concini ** Ennio De Giorgi ** Luigi Guido Grandi ** Alessandro Marchetti (mathematician), Alessandro Marchetti ** Claudio Procesi ** Leonida Tonelli * Pathologist Angelo Maffucci * Physicians Pietro Grocco and Paolo Mascagni * Physicists ** Bernard H. Lavenda ** Carlo Matteucci ** Roy McWeeny ** Giulio Racah ** Gian-Carlo Wick * Zoologist Enrica Calabresi In other fields: * Economist Giuseppe Toniolo * Egalitarian Philippe Buonarroti, 18th century Utopian socialism, utopian socialist, revolutionary, journalist, writer, agitator, and Freemasonry, freemason, mainly active in France * Historians ** Jože Pirjevec, Slovenes, Slovene historian from Italy, one of the most prominent diplomatic historians of the west Balkans region, and member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts ** Pasquale Villari * Journalist Luciano Bianciardi, translator and writer of short stories and novels * Jurists ** Francesco Accarigi ** Carlo Costamagna ** Bartolus de Saxoferrato ** Baldus de Ubaldis * Linguist Mauro Cristofani, researcher in Etruscan civilization, Etruscan studies * Philosophers ** Armando Carlini ** Arnold Davidson ** Dominic of Flanders ** Lorenzo Magalotti, author, diplomat and poet ** Ugo Spirito * Poets ** Italian-Jewish poet & patriot David Levi (Italy), David Levi ** Valerio Magrelli ** Giovanni Pascoli * 16th-century scholar Girolamo Maggi * Writer Bernard Comment

In popular culture

The University of Pisa is mentioned in the film ''Don Juan (1926 film), Don Juan'' (1926). The central character in the TV series My Brilliant Friend (based on the novel by Elena Ferrante) attends and graduated from the university.

References

External links

University of Pisa website

MSSE – Master of Science in Space Engineering
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pisa University University of Pisa, Buildings and structures in Pisa, University Educational institutions established in the 14th century 1343 establishments in Europe Universities in Tuscany