The Borgo Stretto (or simply Borgo for the locals) is a street in the centre of Pisa. Together with the Borgo Largo (Via Guglielmo Oberdan) it forms one of the most important originally medieval shopping streets of the city.
Borgo Stretto Pisa
Location and addresses
The Borgo Stretto runs from Piazza Garibaldi on the banks of the river Arno in a northerly direction. When it reaches the Via San Francesco the street name changes to Via Guglielmo Oberdan, which the inhabitants of Pisa call Borgo Largo. The most striking building on Via Oberdan is the Palazzo Scorzi Tobler (n. 41).
History and description
The Borgo Stretto is one of the busiest streets of the city. It is a very narrow (stretto, in Italian) street, flanked by portico’s and 14th and 15th century palaces.
At the point where the porticoes stop, the street widens and the name changes to Via Oberdan, although the locals generally call it Borgo Largo.
The word Borgo is but rarely used in the sense of ‘street’, but when it is, one can assume that it is an originally medieval road. Borghi were neighbourhoods that arose outside the city walls, but were gradually integrated into a built-up area through urban expansion.
In Piazza del Pozzetto (“Square of the Well”) there is a tabernacle with a copy of the “Madonna dei Vetturini” by Nino Pisano. The original can be seen in the Museo di San Matteo. Vetturini are coachmen.
Palazzo Scorzi Tobler
The Palazzo Scorzi-Tobler stands on the corner of a picturesque alley called Via delle Volte. The palace was built in the 14th century and is characterized by Gothic quadriforas.