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The history of Pisa hails back to the 5th century B.C., when Pisa was an Etruscan settlement, although it is thought that the celts had settled long before the Greeks. Because of its position at the mouth of the Arno river it became a port built by the romans in 180 B.C. called Portus Pisanus and was allied with Rome during wars with Liguria and Carthage. It served as a naval base for them during their conflict with the gauls. At the end of the Roman Empire, Pisa had become a port town of great importance and by the 11th century, into one of the leading Maritime Powers in Italy, rivalling those of Genoa, Venice and Amalfi and began invading the nearby islands of Corsica and Sardegna to expand their control. It then took the Balearic Isles and with Papal consent they also took the island of Sicily thus consolidating their position. This meant that for most of the Middle Ages, Pisa had complete control of the West Mediterranean Sea. To celebrate their status they built the buildings that keep the city famous namely, the Duomo, the cathedral's bell tower and the well known Leaning Tower. It continued its expansion into North Africa and South Spain. The decline of this Maritime republic began in 1284, when its rival Genoa took advantage of Pisa excommunication by the Pope and wiped out the Pisan fleet and subsequent famine did the rest. Then, in 1406, the town passed under the dominion of Florence and Pisa finally lost its importance as a naval port at the end of the 17th century when Livorno became the leading port in Tuscany. |