Saturday 22 March and Saìunday 23 March 2025 sees the renewal of the appointment with the FAI Spring Days, the much-loved and now eagerly-awaited street event that FAI - Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano ETS has been dedicating to Italy's cultural heritage and landscape for the past twelve years. During the weekend, animated and enthusiastically promoted by the FAI Youth Groups, together with all the volunteers of the Trust's Territorial Network, special visits will be offered to hundreds of extraordinary places throughout Italy, selected because they are usually inaccessible or because they are curious, original or little-known.
A weekend with a single protagonist: Italy's heritage of history, art and nature. A wealth of the country that continues to amaze, special places scattered in every corner of the Peninsula that reveal an extraordinary richness even where you least expect it. Not only monuments of recognised value, therefore, but also unpublished sites and unknown landscapes, whose importance in terms of culture, history and traditions, sometimes hidden or unconventional, tells the identity of the most beautiful country in the world. Villas, churches, historical palaces, castles, museums and archaeological areas will be visited, as well as examples of industrial archaeology, art collections, libraries, civil and military buildings, workplaces and craft workshops. There will also be itineraries in the villages and visits to naturalistic areas, urban parks, botanical gardens and historic gardens, in the wake of the Foundation's commitment to spreading a wider 'culture of nature'.
In our city, the appointment is with "Corti e chiesa di San Domenico".
OPENING HOURS
Saturday 22 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry at 6 p.m.)
Sunday 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry at 6 p.m.)
The site is close to Pisa Central Station and can be reached on foot from it. Duration of the visit 45 minutes
WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER DURING THE FAI DAYS?
The visit will be a fascinating journey through time through an area that today is bordered by Corso Italia, Via Pascoli and Via Turati. During the tour, you will discover the great transformations that these places underwent from the end of the 14th century to the end of the 20th century, thanks to the narration of the historical protagonists and the reading of the architectural heritage. The protagonists will be Chiara Gambacorti, Leonardo Chetoni, the first director of the begging hospice, and Roberto Mariani, the architect who helped shape the current appearance of these places. The Apprentice Tour Guides of the IIS Pacinotti of Pisa will narrate the extraordinary life of Chiara Gambacorti, flanked by Tempesti's paintings illustrating the salient episodes of her existence. In the courtyard of the Hospice, you will meet Leonardo Chetoni, who will talk about the life of the hospitalised patients. Finally, architect Riccardo Ciuti will guide you to discover the design by Roberto Mariani, who left an indelible mark on the area.
The visits are organised by the apprentice ciceroni of the IIS Pacinotti of Pisa coordinated by Prof. Luca Cipriani.
ACCESSIBILITY. It is possible to access the Corti, but there are three steps to access the church.
The church and courtyards of San Domenico are located in the centre of Pisa, south of the Arno, near the railway station, in the area between Corso Italia, Via Pascoli and Via Turati. Over the centuries, this complex has undergone important transformations: in the 14th century it was a church with a women's convent, in the 19th century it became a begging hospice, and in the last century it houses a bank, flats and shops, reflecting the evolution of the area and its history.
The church and convent of San Domenico were founded in 1385 by Pietro Gambacorta to house his daughter Chiara and her companions, giving rise to a cloistered community in contact with Catherine of Siena and merchants such as Francesco Datini. After the Unification of Italy, in 1862, it became a begging hospice, offering shelter and food to the poor. Between 1903 and 1923, engineer Studiati restored the complex in an eclectic style. The bombings of 1943 destroyed a large part of the convent, and only since 1987, thanks to the design of architect Roberto Mariani, has the area taken on its current appearance.
The church of the Convent of San Domenico, founded in the late 14th century, has a gabled façade made of stone and brick. The interior, on the other hand, has an 18th-century appearance, decorated with stucco work and paintings on canvas by Giovan Battista Tempesti, depicting episodes from the life of Blessed Chiara Gambacorti. Among the most important works is a 14th-century fresco by Turino Vanni, depicting the Crucifixion: Jesus between the Madonna and St. John, with Magdalene at the foot of the cross, Blessed Clare on the left and St. Dominic on the right. The church suffered severe damage during the bombing of 1943, but subsequent restoration work allows its structure to be appreciated today. In the 1990s, a major and costly restoration was necessary, made possible thanks to the Order of Malta, which has the church on loan. The building was reopened for worship in 1997. On Corso Italia, the eclectic-style façades designed by Pietro Studiati are visible, together with the part reconstructed by Roberto Mariani. The interior, divided into several courtyards, preserves the tombstones of the hospice's benefactors and the façade designed by Studiati. It is interesting to note that the current Via Pascoli was opened after the Second World War, significantly altering the structure of the district.
