PISA 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 city contains more than twenty other historic churches, several medieval palaces, and bridges across the ARNO. Much of the city's architecture was financed from its history as one of the Italian maritime republics.
   The city is also home to the UNIVERSITY of PISA, which has a history going back to the 12th century, the SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIORE di PISA, founded by NAPOLEON in 1810, and its offshoot, the SANT'ANNA SCHOOL of ADVANCED STUDIES.
   Although throughout history there have been several uncertainties about the origin of the city of PISA, excavations made in the 1980s and 1990s found numerous archaeological remains, including the fifth century BC tomb of an Etruscan prince, proving the Etruscan origin of the city, and its role as a maritime city, showing that it also maintained trade relations with other Mediterranean civilizations (Wikipedia).