The participants of the International Meeting 2023 will be able to have a unique experience with a visit to the city of Pisa on Friday, October 6th. The hotel’s location will allow you to walk to the famous “Piazza dei Miracoli”, one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. For over 25 years, it has been considered a World Heritage Site and protected by UNESCO.
Its real name is Piazza del Duomo, but the title of “Piazza dei Miracoli” stuck with it thanks to some verses by the Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, and it quickly spread due to the beauty of the place!
This square was built with the proceeds of the Pisan booty after the victory over the Muslims in Sicily. The first monument to be built was the Cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore and begun in 1063.
Only later was it decided to build the Baptistery, the leaning Tower, and the cemetery. The three complexes that make up the square of miracles symbolize the three main phases of a man’s life: the Baptistery represents birth, the Cathedral life, and the Camposanto, clearly, death. We said three and not four because the famous leaning Tower is the Cathedral’s bell tower, and therefore it should be considered unique and not counted separately. But this Tower has become the valid symbol of Pisa. This was designed to be a vertical bell tower like any other one worldwide. Unfortunately, the sandy ground caused structural failures and gave the famous inclination.
Few people know that the 3 Monuments of “Piazza dei Miracoli” are arranged exactly like the shape of a constellation: “Aries”! An ancient phrase also confirms this: “Pisa is Aries!” The explanation of this sentence is linked to the Pisan and Tuscan traditions. You probably don’t know that, before the Gregorian Calendar came into force, in Pisa and all of Tuscany, the New Year was celebrated on March 25th. This tradition is still strongly felt and maintained among the local popular festivals (which I suggest you mark on your calendar to participate in at least one of the events organized in the various Tuscan cities).
But let’s go back to the sentence and Aries. March 25th falls right under the zodiac sign of Aries; therefore, it can be seen that the layout of the Tower, the Cathedral, and the Baptistery are precisely aligned like the points of the constellation.