Pisa Museo Aperto

Location(s)

Around the mid 16th century, one of the first things Cosimo de’ Medici cared of was to restore the Pisan shipyards. This made part of a larger programme of redevelopment which included the excavation of a channel, the so-called Canale dei Navicelli, linking the port of Leghorn with Pisa and the river Arno, the development of the city of Leghorn as the main port and trade center in Tuscany and the foundation of the Order of the Knights of Santo Stefano. In order to enlarge the shipyards, which had been built first at the time of the republic (XIIth-XIIIth century), Cosimo chose the area between the old Tersana (the republican shipyards) and the quarter of San Vito, an ideal place to build and launch bigger galleys on the river Arno. The complex of the Medicean shipyards is still visible today near the Cittadella fortress. While the new eight sheds were being built, the old republican shipyard was reconverted to be used as a stable for the army’s horses. The complex of the new shipyard was imposing and its construction required the destruction of San Vito suburb which had grown during the previous centuries next to the city walls.

Production in the Medicean shipyards was fuelled by job orders coming from the Knights of Santo Stefano and from the port of Leghorn. The development of these shipyards attracted new working force and contributed to the growth of the urban population. The shipyards were working at a fast rate, sometimes to satisfy important job orders as in the case of the “Royal ship”. The Royal ship was intended for leading to Marseille in 1600 the grand duke’s niece, Maria de’ Medici, the bride of Henry IV king of France. This ship was ordered by grand-duke Ferdinand I in person. It had a richly decorated hull, all carved with wooden figures representing masks and animals.

Yet, during the 17th century part of the ship production was transferred to Leghorn, where the construction of a new shipyard in the area of Nuova Darsena was achieved in 1634. The development of the port of Leghorn entailed as a natural consequence the opening of local shipyards, workshops where it was possible to repair boats, the so-called navicelli and ships such as galleys or mercantile sailing ships. Nevertheless, until the mid 18th century and the crisis of the Order of Santo Stefano a considerable part of these activities was still fulfilled in the Pisan shipyards, which had so far maintained their old communal tradition.