Basilica of San Piero a Grado

the ancient San Piero a Grado Basilica, according to legend, was constructed where the apostle St. Peter arrived and was saved during a flood in an expedition from Anatolia towards Rome. St. Peter celebrated the very first mass in the Roman territory inside an ancient, no-longer- existing Roman villa. The altar still exists: it is inside the great basilica, covered by a gothic ciborium. The Pisan Republic often enlarged and modified the basilica that now has four apses: three in the back and one on the side where the fa�ade originally was, towards the north. The church is orientated according to the route the sun takes during the equinox providing its unique symbolism.
The three naves inside of the church appear simple but the frescos create an astonishing effect: they are from the 13th Century by Deodato Orlando and tell us the stories of St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s lives. Along the wall are portraits of the popes from St Peter to Joan the 17th (1007). 


To reach the Basilica: bus n. 10 in Piazza Sant’Antonio toward Tirrenia, via la Vettola.