Marina di Pisa

Aerial view of Marina di Pisa

Location of the province of Pisa

Marina di Pisa is a seaside resort of Tuscany, in central Italy. It is a frazione of the provincial capital of Pisa, which lies about 10 km to the east.

Geography

Marina di Pisa lies on the left bank of the Arno River, where it flows into the Ligurian Sea. It is located directly north of the seaside resort of Tirrenia.

Behind the town are forested sections of the Parco Regionale San Rossore, Migliarino, e Massaciucoli. From Marina di Pisa, it is possible to see the islands of Corsica, Elba and Gorgona; and the mountains of the Alpi Apuane and other Apennines, and Monti Pisani above Pisa.

History

Marina di Pisa was mostly built during the economic boom of the late 1800s, as a seaside resort. It was further developed in the 1930s. Many marine support industries developed at the mouth of the Arno river and in the area along its banks.

Economy

The German aviation company Dornier Flugzeugwerke based most of their production in the town from 1922 to 1932, after The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 banned construction of engine-powered aircraft in Germany. Here they built the "Wal" twin-engine flying boat. The huge 'Savigliano' hangar (1925) which remained standing till 2007, was used for the production of the Wals, and work on the Do-X in 1929, then the world's largest passenger plane.

The village is mostly inhabited by retirees, although it comes alive with visitors in the summer months to bathe in the warm Mediterranean waters. A redevelopment project is under way at the mouth of the Arno, known as "Bocca d’Arno", in a disused industrial area where a marina and a new residential district will be built in the years to come.

External links

Notes and references

Coordinates: 43°40′N 10°16′E / 43.667°N 10.267°E / 43.667; 10.267