Monumental Cemetery of Pisa (Camposanto Monumentale)

The Monumental Cemetery of Pisa (Camposanto Monumentale) is one of the most beautiful sights on the Field of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli), famous for being home to the Leaning Tower. The cemetery was built on sacred soil brought back to Pisa after the Third Crusade in the 12th century, and legend holds that this holy earth can reduce bodies to skeletons within a day of burial. In addition to its Pisan Romanesque architecture, the cemetery is worth visiting for what remains of its fresco cycle and Roman sarcophagi.

Piazza dei Miracoli is one of Tuscany’s most popular destinations and is often very crowded, so book a skip-the-line tour in advance to avoid a long wait at the ticket office. You can also combine a Pisa tour with day trips to Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, or other towns in nearby Chianti.

• Visitors with tickets can use restrooms and free cloakroom in the complex’s Opera della Primaziale Pisana building.

• The Piazza dei Miracoli square is lined with a number of restaurants and cafés.

• The Camposanto cemetery is accessible to wheelchair users.

• You must wear modest attire covering shoulders and knees to enter the cemetery chapels.

The Piazza dei Miracoli is about 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) north of the Pisa train station, with trains connecting daily to Rome, Florence, and Venice. From the station, walk through the historic center of Pisa or take a bus to the Piazza dei Miracoli.

The Piazza dei Miracoli is most crowded from late morning through the afternoon, so visit in the early morning to enjoy the Leaning Tower, cemetery, and other buildings before most other visitors arrive.

In addition to the Camposanto Monumentale, Piazza dei Miracoli is home to the Pisa Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa) and baptistery, Leaning Tower, Sinopie Museum, and Duomo Opera Museum (Museo dell’Opera del Duomo), which houses a collection of artworks removed from the duomo and baptistery over the centuries.