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Mura medievali - Pisa in Tuscany

Construction of the third ring of walls appears to date from 1155, though the dates provided by Maragone in his Annales are unclear. In some areas the new fortifications were attached to pre-existing defensive structures or took advantage of natural defences such as the Auser River. The built-up areas around the new walls had already been equipped with the necessary defensive systems, which, however, did non consist of walled structures. Construction began in 1155 in the area of present-day Piazza del Duomo with the aim of protecting the cathedral and the future baptistery and defending the north-west sector which, due to the presence of a bridge on the Auser River, was the weakest point in the city's defensive system. Other parts of Pisa were protected by a natural barrier formed by marshes and the Auser itself.

It should be noted that the walls here are different in terms of both building materials and construction technique. The building was carried out vertically instead of superimposing longitudinal bands. The stone used was the “panchina”, a sort of tufa. There is no continuity between the structure of the walls and that of the towers.The second lot was begun in 1156 with the construction of wooden defensive structures around the civitas and the district of Chinzica for fear of an attack by Frederick Barbarossa.The third lot, also begun in 1156, included the stretch from San Zeno to the Calcesana Gate; then canals were dug from the Pisan Mountains to San Zeno, allowing the stone for the walls to be carried on barges. The panchina stone was replaced by greyish limestone quarried at San Giuliano, which was raised for three "ponti" (the pons being the conventional unit in use at the time), plus one "ponte" for the foundations. The foundations and the lower layers were made of choice material, while the upper layers were homogeneous. The fourth lot was begun in 1157-1158 with the erection of a wall along the Auser to a height of three "ponti" (one for the foundation and two in elevation). The new stretch of walls extended from the Ponte Santa Maria to the Ponte Santo Stefano, from the Parlascio Gate (which became the hub of the new urban configuration) to the San Zeno Gate.

The fifth lot was begun in 1158 with the construction of three "ponti" (one for the foundation and two in elevation) extending from the Spina Alba Gate to the Calcesana Gate, from the Parlascio Gate to the Ponte di Santo Stefano, and from the Lion's Tower to the Hospital of Santa Maria. The sixth lot was begun in 1159 from the west side of the Via Santa Maria. The seventh lot was begun in 1161 and connected the west side of the city (from the Portello to the Arno Tower). The building material was a grey-pink stone coming from the Asciano quarries.

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