La Sapienza, via della Sapienza

Porticato interno - La Sapienza (G. Bettini, Comune di Pisa)

The history of the University of Pisa: some Pisan “magisters” were already known in the Carolingian era, such as the learned Pietro, deacon of Pisa, whom Charlemagne brought with him to the court around 744 AD, so he could devote himself to teaching grammar. In the twelfth century we know of Pisan jurists, also thanks to the presence of the Pandett Pisanee, part of the Digest, while in the thirteenth century we have mentions of doctors in medicine. The official birth dates back to September 3, 1343, when the Pisano Study was raised to the rank of General Study thanks to the papal edict of Pope Clement VI In supremae dignitatis (In Supreme Dignity). After a period of interruption following the first Florentine conquest (1406), it was restored by Lorenzo il magnifico, who also transferred the General Study of Florence to Pisa, creating a single university centre. From the 16th to the 19th centuries it was enlarged with new departments and in 1839 it hosted the First Congress of Italian Scientists. In 1862, the Pisan University was among the six national primary universities, together with Turin, Pavia, Bologna, Naples and Palermo. In 1900, it became a High Rank University and in 1969 it inaugurated the first degree course in Computer Science. Today, together with the Scuola Normale Superiore and Sant'Anna it is considered among the most prestigious universities in the world, with around 60,000 students coming from all over Italy and from abroad, thanks to exchange projects such as Erasmus, and Leonardo, and to the many hosting associations such as the Erasmus Student Network. The WIS! (Welcome International Students!) is the front office dedicated to holders of qualifications obtained abroad who intend to enrol at the University of Pisa.