"Pisa. Chiesa di San Paolo a Ripa d’Arno"

gelatin silver print

stamp verso

Photograph from a collection of tourism photographs from the first half of the 20^th century, issued by Italian tourism boards. High-quality works by renowned studios, such as the Alinari brothers, were frequently used to promote Italy as a travel destination. With the West German Economic Miracle (Wirtschaftswunder) of the 1950s, these idealized images of longing became a reality: rising prosperity and increased leisure time transformed vacations into a status symbol. Italy – particularly the Riviera and the Adriatic coast – became the number one destination of choice. By the mid-1950s, 4.5 million Germans were already traveling across the Alps, marking the beginning of modern mass tourism.¹

The church of San Paolo a Ripa d’Arno is widely considered one of the most significant and purest masterpieces of Pisan Romanesque architecture. Erected between the late 10^th and early 11^th centuries and expanded in the 12^th century, the house of worship is often referred to as the "old cathedral" (Duomo vecchio) due to its architectural similarities. With its characteristic blind arches on the lower level and three delicate tiers of open colonnades above, the magnificent West facade strongly mirrors the grand model of Pisa Cathedral. The complex suffered severe damage from bombings in 1943 during World War II, but was meticulously restored in the post-war period.
(Christoph Fuchs)

Note

1
"Geteiltes Deutschland: Modernisierung. Bundesrepublik im Wandel. Tourismus", Lebendiges Museum online, Deutsches Historisches Museum, https://www.hdg.de/lemo/kapitel/geteiltes-deutschland-modernisierung/bundesrepublik-im-wandel/tourismus.html (accessed 26.6.2026)