Between the 11th and 15th century Pisa used to be a wealthy and powerful republic in todays Tuscany. Architectural masterpieces were built and wonderful art was created in this time. Pisa was a center of culture and commerce for many centuries. But like any successful state it was surpassed by another place, in this case by the sea republic of Genova. Pisa was largely forgotten but luckily the cultural heritage survived the centuries.