Want to see the Tower of Pisa? Go through the stalls first. You study freeway service station route

A bitter tug-of-war is going on in Pisa these days between merchants’ associations and the Soprintendenza, and the bone of contention is the presence of souvenir stalls: once in Piazza del Duomo (better known as Piazza dei Miracoli), set up on one of the sides of the square, the one that runs right along the very famous monuments (Baptistery, Cathedral and Tower), in 2013 they were moved to Piazza Manin (just outside Porta Nuova, the historic gate of the Pisan walls from which one enters the square directly) to allow restoration work on the Museo delle Sinopie, which is located in the building that was once the old body of the Pisa Hospital, located on the same side of the square. Work on the Museum is over, however, and souvenir sellers would like to return to the Piazza del Duomo, but the Superintendency is adamantly opposed.

The trade associations (Confcommercio Pisa and Confesercenti Toscana Nord) are pushing for the return of the stallholders to Piazza dei Miracoli to facilitate trade, but the Superintendency is opposed for protection reasons related to the fact that Piazza del Duomo is a Unesco site, and the presence of the stallholders would compromise the integrity of the square itself. In recent days, a petition, signed by several Pisan professors and professionals, has also started opposing the return of the stalls to Piazza del Duomo, and explaining the reasons for the no vote: “the Piazza (the whole square),” the text reads, “has been included since 1987 among the Unesco World Heritage Sites. This recognition is certainly not due to the activities of the stallholders. The latter, however, as far as it appears, believe that they have a sort of natural right to enjoy a position income derived from the characteristics of a heritage that they did not contribute to constitute and that, indeed, may be diminished in its value precisely by the exercise of their activity, if carried out in immediate contiguity. Second, as was in the plans, the restoration of Pope Alexander IV’s Spedale has made usable the fifth monument in the Piazza, which defines it geometrically on its southern side, in parallel with the orientation of the Duomo, Baptistery, Camposanto and the northern section of the walls. It is perhaps more modest as an architectural feature but fundamental to the overall structure of the complex. To return to visually perimeter the Piazza with a haphazard parade of stalls, rather than a building coeval to it, configures a loss of value. This applies, of course, even in the event of measures defined as temporary.”

Against the Superintendent’s reasons, however, Federico Pieragnoli, director of Confcommercio Pisa, had already expressed himself harshly at the end of October, saying in a note, “I understand that the Superintendent prefers to maintain the current location of the stalls so shamefully crammed one on top of the other in Piazza Manin, but we place our utmost trust in the mayor of Pisa and in the path he outlined in the I commission. It is too easy to speak from the top of the superintendent’s chair and point the finger at 44 businesses and families who have every right to work and live with dignity. Fortunately, he is not a podesta with absolute powers, but in a democratic and liberal state, more than the fundamentalism of a Superintendent, what counts is the law and respect for the rules. Law and respect for the powers to which even the Superintendent must still submit, just like anyone else. The stalls in the Duomo cannot and should no longer be in Piazza Manin, a temporary location exclusively for the duration of the work on the Sinopias, which have been reduced to the brink and with revenues reduced to zero. The return is a fundamental premise, before they are mowed down and forced to close.” The director then referred to the rulings of the Tar and Council of State on the subject, “On the other hand, what could be more simple and dutiful than to respect the rulings of two courts of the Italian Republic, Tar and Council of State, which have established the absolute temporariness of the relocation of the cathedral stalls and the need to return inside the square once the works are completed.”

The solution now put forward by the administration is to place the stalls in a special area once belonging to the Santa Chiara hospital, adjacent to the square: however, also on the negotiating table is the idea of closing Porta Nuova to oblige passers-by intending to cross Piazza dei Miracoli to first pass through the area of the stalls, and then to enter the square. A sort of highway service station-style solution, however, has made many turn their noses up at it: it would, in fact, involve lengthening the route to access the square by a great deal, moreover forcing all those who are not interested in buying souvenirs (citizens, workers and students who pass through the square every day on their way home, to work or to the classroom) to waste time unnecessarily.

The latter proposal, however, was welcomed by the merchants. Franco Palermo of the Italian Federation of Street Vendors explains that “the closing of the door to Piazza Manin [i.e., Porta Nuova, ed.], the creation of an Infopoint, and the ramp to the walls are the first elements that allow us to respond positively to the mayor’s proposal. It is clear that now it is a matter of starting to work in earnest to define point by point all the necessary technical details. Time is of the essence.” The idea of the merchants is still, however, to return permanently to Cathedral Square. Contrary to the traders’ openness, the associations opposed to the return of the stallholders to Piazza dei Miracoli (in addition to the opposition represented by the PD) identify another solution, namely the placement of the businesses in largo Cocco Griffi, just outside the walls and the square. A solution discarded, however, by the traders, who complain that the area is too small and the stalls would be “sacrificed.” In short: for Pisa, the closure of Porta Nuova and access to Piazza dei Miracoli seems to be on the horizon, only after the dozens of souvenir stalls have been reviewed.

Photo: Baptistery, Cathedral and Tower of Pisa. Ph. Credit Finestre Sull’Arte

Want to see the Tower of Pisa? Go through the stalls first. You study freeway service station route

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