Rilievo sulla torre di pisa che mostra l'antico porto pisano

Porto Pisano, also known as Triturrita, was the main seaport of the

Republic of Pisa The Republic of Pisa ( it, Repubblica di Pisa) was an independent state centered on the Tuscan city of Pisa, which existed from the 11th to the 15th century. It rose to become an economic powerhouse, a commercial center whose merchants dominated ...

, located on the

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient L ...

coast close to the mouth of the

Arno River The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...

. In the 13th century, at its peak, Porto Pisano was one of the most important sea ports in Italy, which rivaled if not surpassed both

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. In the

Battle of Meloria The Battle of Meloria was fought near the islet of Meloria in the Ligurian Sea on 5 and 6 August 1284 between the fleets of the Republics of Genoa and Pisa as part of the Genoese-Pisan War. The victory of Genoa and the destruction of the Pisan ...

in 1284 Porto Pisano was blockaded by the Genoese fleet, and Pisa suffered a heavy defeat, which eventually resulted in its decline. Subsequently, Porto Pisano was controlled by Genoa. On August 28, 1421, the port was sold to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

which has chosen to use

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

as its principal seaport, since Porto Pisano suffered from increasing alluvial deposits, and the coastline had moved away from the port. After the 16th century, it ceased entirely to be used. Currently the site of Porto Pisano is occupied by

San Piero a Grado San Piero a Grado (Italian: ''Basilica di San Pietro Apostolo'') is a church in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, in the eponymous ''frazione'' west of the city center. The church is located where once was a now disappeared port of the Pisan Republic, wher ...

, a suburb of Pisa.

History

In the 12th century,

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

was one of the most important trading cities of Italy, however, it was located slightly off the coast and badly needed a sea port. Porto Pisano was before the middle of the 12th century merely a landing, and in 1156, works to make a major port started. Between 1154 and 1163, three towers were built to guard Porto Pisano; one more tower was built in the sea to guide the ships. From 1162, the entrance to the port was guarded by a chain hung between two of the towers. In 1174, a large warehouse was constructed. From Porto Pisano, the ships went along the coast to the mouth of the Arno and then upstream to Pisa. This short stretch of the coast was under constant threat by the Genoese and by pirates, and therefore needed to be patrolled by the Pisan fleet. There was also a road running overland between Pisa and Porto Pisano, with two hospitals for sick travelers. Between 1285 and 1290, the port structures were destroyed by the Genoese, but within a few years, they were rebuilt, and the port was used again.

References

{{reflist Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy History of Pisa 15th century in the Republic of Florence History of Genoa Republic of Pisa 1421 in Europe