Campopisano and the Battle of Meloria

In the heart of the Old Town there is a special square shaped like a shell, with a black and white pebble pavement that forms the pattern of a galley plowing through the waves. It is Campopisano.

This charming little square is named after the 9,000 Pisan prisoners who were buried there after the Republic of Genoa's victory during the famous Battle of Meloria. Summer 1284. The fleets of Genoa and Pisa clashed on a sultry August day off the Tuscan coast between Pisa and Livorno, near the shallows of Meloria. The outcome of the battle will give a decisive turn to Italian maritime control, with Genoa seeing its banners prevail over its hated enemies. For the Ligurian Maritime Republic, however, mere victory is not enough, so thousands of Pisan prisoners are transported just outside the city of Genoa, under the walls. And here they are left to die, thousands of them, without food or sustenance.