History of the University of Pisa

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The University of Pisa

The University of Pisa

As early as the year 1000, Pisa's cultural vitality is attested by its relationships with the Islamic and Byzantine worlds and by personalities of the level of Buscheto, Burgundio and Leonardo Fibonacci.

The University of Pisa was founded in 1334 by a papal edict. The Faculties initially established were Theology, Civil and Canon Law and Medicine. The life of the University has always been closely linked to that of the town. In the 15th century, for instance, when Florence subjugated Pisa, the University underwent a period of decline.

The advent of Lorenzo de' Medici witnessed a revival of interest, but the subsequent rebellion and seige of 1509 stripped the University of all its resources. Only under Grand Duke Cosimo I did the University, restored and reorganized, finally attain its status as one of the pre-eminent cultural and teaching centres in all Europe, a position it held for at least the following century: many of the greatest minds of the time worked alongside the universally renowned figure of Gaileo Galilei. During this period, the botanist Luca Ghini established what are now the world's oldest botanical gardens (a distinction Pisa shares with Padua).

After the splendid progress of these years, the University underwent a few decades of relative quiescence, and then, in the second half of the 18th century, there was a revival of interest on the part of the new Grand Dukes of Hapsburg-Lorraine, who expanded the University's libraries and museums, created an Observatory, institued chairs in Physics and Chemistry, and re-established the previously suspended teaching of Surgery.

The subsequent Napoleonic period saw the further addition of new Chairs, and the foundation of the Scuola Normale Superiore. The early 1800s also witnessed the birth of the new Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. In 1848, a battalion of university volunteers took part in the battle of Curtatone. This episode of the Austro-Hungarian war lies at the origin of the traditional "goliardi", or caps with the peak cut off, worn by university students.

The University has continued to maintain a high reputation in the world of studies, and boasts two Nobel prize-winners, Fermi and Rubbia, among its former students. In the sixties, a new university institution, the Scuola Superiore di Studi "Sant'Anna" was established, and during the same period, the University strengthened its ties with the National Research Council (CNR), whose Pisa branch is among the nation's most important. The years of student unrest, which so deeply affected the Universities and societies of many countries of the world, saw a clear confirmation of the vitality and the spirit of renewal of the University population of Pisa. Since 1984, Pisa has been able to boast the only university-run Conference Hall in Italy.

Today there are 11 Faculties, 44 departments which offer degrees in 33 different subjects. The students, nearly forty thousand strong in a city of only one hundred thousand inhabitants, are drawn to Pisa, not only from the nearby Tuscan and Ligurian coasts, but from many other regions, especially the South of Italy. A growing number arrive from other European, American and Afro-Asian nations as well.

Since medieval times, when the bell-tower near the Sapienza building rang out the early-morning start of classes, academic life has made up an integral part of city life. The university buildings are located in every corner of the town, particularly in the old city centre. Good relations between students and their host town are ensured by the "Diritto allo Studio Universitario" (D.S.U., Student Services Organization), which runs the Refectory, provides limited accomodation, and grants scolarships.

Traditionally, Pisa has devoted much attention to sport, often with shining results. Co-ordinating these activities is the duty of the C.U.S. (Centro Universitario Sportivo, University Sporting Centre), which places at the disposal of the student body three different structures equipped with gymnasiums and playing fields, and organizes competitions in various disciplines. Extracurricular activities, organized mostly by the students themselves under the co-ordination of the D.S.U., range from cinema and theatre, to music and dance.

Thus, the presence of the University and its students affects town life in all its institutional, political and social aspects, providing a rich and irreplaceable source of new ideas and vitality for the entire population.