PisaThe leaning republic
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 3 walked routes: in Pisa, you pass a place with a story every 260 metres.
Ranked #1 of 2 Italy small cities & towns
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · scored on 7 of 8 measures · how we measure
Depth28/100
36 places with a story
3 historical figures
Density60/100
a story every 260 m
median along a route
Character97/100
faith & churches
typical story: 1342 · medieval
Pulse67/100
Instagrammability 51/100
peak month: Aug
Pisa, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Pisa | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 36 | 31 | #1 of 9 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 21 | #3 of 7 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 0.4h | 32 | #1 of 9 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 260 m | 60 | #7 of 8 | Williamsburg (United States) · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 969 yrs | 97 | #1 of 9 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 51/100 | 51 | #1 of 3 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | — | needs more plays here before group habits can be measured | — | Houston (United States) · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 82% | 82 | #2 of 4 | Venice · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. Pisa's 36 on places with a story scores 31, and it scores 31 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). Pisa is scored on 7 of the 8 measures: its overall score averages those 7, and the greyed measures stay out of the average rather than counting against it. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
The medal table
What Pisa wins
- Most historical figures among Italy's small cities and towns· 3 people in its stories
- Most instagrammable among Italy's small cities and towns
- Most places with a story among Italy's small cities and towns· 36 places
Won against the other small cities and towns of Italy in the 2026 edition. See the full table on the country page.
Character
What its stories are about
- faith & churches42%
- royalty & nobility14%
- arts & culture11%
Out of Pisa's 36 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- Medieval62%
- Early modern29%
- 19th century5%
- Contemporary5%
When Pisa's stories happen (58% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 3 recent years). Peak: Aug.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English61%
- Italian18%
- Spanish11%
- Dutch7%
- German3%
Language of 100+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
36 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
The Piazza dei Cavalieri was the seat of the city's political power during medieval times. Pisa began its decline after losing the…
Just arrived and already in the middle of the Italian Middle Ages! Begun in 1230, the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina…
The Piazza dei Miracoli is best-known for housing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Though the tower is probably the biggest reason for…
Depth
Figures you meet on Pisa's streets
Galileo Galilei
at 2 places
Piazza XX Settembre · Borgo Stretto,
Saint Stephen
at 2 places
Piazza dei Cavalieri · Knights' Square
King Vittorio Emanuele
at 1 place
Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele II
Depth
Every Pisa place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk Pisa's stories yourself
Every route in the city: See everything in Pisa
Where next after Pisa?
RomeThe city of popes and squares264 km away · a story every 287 m
MilanThe city of art and empire216 km away · a story every 325 m
GenoaThe maritime republic139 km away · a story every 220 m
BolognaThe red city of tall tales114 km away · a story every 285 m
FlorenceThe Renaissance cradle68 km away · a story every 222 m
SienaFlorence's gothic rival87 km away · a story every 183 mHow does Pisa compare?
Put Pisa head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
Quick answers
- What is Pisa like to explore on foot?
- Pisa has 36 places with a story across 3 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 260 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards faith & churches and royalty & nobility.
- Which historical period defines Pisa?
- 62% of Pisa's dated stories come from the medieval period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1050.
- When do people visit Pisa?
- Player activity in Pisa peaks in Aug, with a typical 40% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 3 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in Pisa: 1,000+ plays and 100+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in Pisa, you pass a place with a story every 260 metres on average.
- 62% of Pisa's dated stories come from the medieval period.
- Pisa's typical story happens in 1342: the median year across its dated stories, which span 969 years.
- 82% of Pisa's written player reviews are in a language other than Italian (from 100+ reviews).
- Pisa's play season peaks in Aug; a typical 40% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 3 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
Pisa ranks #24 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
Embed code
<a href="https://questoapp.com/city-index/italy/pisa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://questoapp.com/api/og/city-index-badge?country=italy&slug=pisa" alt="Pisa ranks #24 of 80 in the Questo City Stories Index" width="320" height="100">
</a>Know a story these streets are missing?
Every place, story and figure on this page comes from routes built by people who know Pisa. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.