Chiesa di San Zeno (L.Corevi, Comune di Pisa)The church is located near Porta San Zeno, which in the thirteenth century was also called the Monetary gate because it is located near the mint of the medieval era. From the top of the walls we can seethe back of one of the oldest Pisan churches, San Zeno, documented from 1029. The restorations of 1972 made it possible to formulate some hypotheses on the origin of the building, which would seem the final of seven buildings, starting from the second century AD. The most evident traces of this process were found under the floor and consist of a 7th century triple apse building. The façade is preceded by a porch with lozenge and oculi decorations, typical of the Pisan-Romanesque style, supported by reclaimed columns and capitals. Above is the coat of arms of Archbishop Filippo de’ Medici. The sides were decorated with ceramic basins, today preserved in the National Museum of San Matteo. After its collapse in 1409, the bell tower was no longer rebuilt. The church is now owned by the municipality.A strange inclined pole is visible in the surroundings of the church of San Zeno:Stele byMauro Staccioliis a contemporary work of art placed in Largo San Zeno in 2007 on the occasion of the exhibition 'Meeting Places'. The large stela recalls the pole of a haystack, a distinctive symbol of the extra-urban landscape. Its inclination, perhaps a tribute to the city itself, is the distorted representation of a memory, something that no longer exists, like the haystacks in the countryside. The work is therefore a warning, a sad warning that the suburban environment is changing and green areas are now disappearing.The religious building was the set of a scene from the film Il piccolo Diavolo (1988) (The Little Devil) by and with Roberto Benigni. One of the memorable scenes of the film was with the famous line 'model number 4:Giuditta' was shot right inside the church of San Zeno.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjU91xXDoHA)
