The town of Pisa is of Etruscan origin. In 179 B.C. it became a Roman colony and in 89 B.C. a Roman municipium. Pisa was an important naval base for the Romans. In the Middle Ages it was an important port, just like Venice, Genoa and Amalfi. Each of these towns had both a merchant fleet and a navy, which controlled all the seas around Italy. Pisa reached its greatest peak of power in the 11th and 12 centuries when it expanded its power over the islands of Corsica, Sicily and Sardinia. In addition, it controlled the Tuscan coast from Portovenere to Civitavecchia. During the first Crusade from 1096 to 1099 its military and commercial power expanded eastwards and during the 12th century some colonies were founded along the same routes followed by the Crusaders. At this time some small industries developed in Pisa, especially those involved in the processing of wool and leather. In 1162 Pisa became a free commune with its own statutes, and it was in this period that a new architectural style was born. From the 11th to the 14th century the arts, and especially architecture, flourished. Some wonderful buildings were erected, such as the Cathedral, with the contribution of great artists. One of these artists was Nicola Pisano, the greatest Italian Gothic sculptor, who started a school that influenced all the Italian sculpture of that period. In 1284 Pisa was defeated by Genoa in the Battle of Meloria and so a period of decline began, which terminated with the subjection of the town to Florence.

Under the Florentine rule of Lorenzo il Magnifico, the town knew a new period of influence and the urban landscape underwent important transformations. Wonderful buildings in the Renaissance style were erected and in 1472 the University was founded. In this university Galileo Galilei taught Physics, thus starting an important scientific tradition that still continues in Pisa today. At the end of the 19th century the town extended outside the boundary of the old town-walls. Pisa suffered from great damages during World War II. The quarter south of the river Arno was completely destroyed. Most of the urban shape of the town, as we see it today, is due to recent development.