MARINA DI PISA

Marina di Pisa is a village on the left of Arno River, at its mouth, and have been constructed in historical age, both through natural events and through man-work; indeed in 1606, Ferdinand the II 'cutted' the river previously outletting in Arnino locality, south of the village, flowing close to the Arno Vecchio Farm. Through this modification, the river's mouth became as we see it today. At the left of the river-mouth 'Il Fortino' was built, for the fluvial control directed to Pisa. The construction was finished in 1786 and its boundary walls were in hexagonal shape, with a fishermen's village around it; probably, these episodes were the prelude to the birth of Bocca d'Arno. In 1866, the King ordered to free all areas of S.Rossore until the "Gombo", where Gaetano Ceccherini had constructed to a great bath with a Villino (the future Royal Villino). In order to do that, the King yielded in exchange to Mr. Ceccherini a very extense land to the left of Arno river, plus a consistent amount of money. In 1869 Ceccherini built a magnificent bathing resort and bought a Casa Colonica from the Apolloni Family, close to the old customs. On June 23rd, 1892 the steam-railroad from Pisa to Bocca d'Arno was inaugurated, and in 1896, the famous orator Father Agostino da Monte Feltro started the construction of the first church Santa Maria Assunta. In 1925, the construction of Shipyards (Gallinari and CMSA) partly changed the economy of the village from its original vocation of a bathing center, hence diminishing its natural environmental value; well-off families moved to Viareggio and to the newborn Tirrenia, just 5 Km from Marina di Pisa. All this happened approximately in 1930, hence Marina gradually lost its prestige, also because the erosion of the sea was stealing the well-known sand-seashore, up to the foundations of the buildings along the coast. Only breakwater reefs, approximately situated at two hundred meters from the shoreline, have given new hopes to the marinesi, since the sand is returning in many points. Nowadays, the aeronautical and car plants have stopped their activity, moving to Pisa, Livorno and Pontedera.