Born as an Etruscan river port around the 6th century BC, the city of Pisa owes its greatest fame and its most flourishing period of artistic and cultural development to its commercial vocation, conferred by its geographical position and the power of its fleet. In the Middle Ages, these factors highlighted its influence in the Mediterranean as one of the Maritime Republics, alongside Venice, Genoa, and Amalfi. Traces of that glorious past can be found in the city's most beautiful square, Piazza del Duomo, better known as Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), a name given to it by the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, who was captivated by the city's beauty. It is in this square that one can admire the famous Leaning Tower, which defies physics with its inclination. The Tower of Pisa is none other than the bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, or the Duomo, which has become world-famous thanks to its lean. The 58-meter-tall structure began to tilt during its construction, but its degree of obliquity has since been stabilized. In addition to the Duomo, built in the Pisan Romanesque style with Byzantine and Arab influences, the square hosts the largest Baptistery in Italy, a work by Giovanni Pisano, and the Monumental Cemetery (Camposanto Monumentale). In an allegorical dialogue with each other, the three monuments, set on a bright green lawn, symbolize the three phases of human life: birth, life, and death, adding spiritual significance to a work of immense artistic and cultural value.