Galileo Galilei International Airport
They say that the true enjoyment of every journey is not the destination, but the process of getting there. In overseas travel, perhaps the most important part of that process takes place in the airports around the world, from the tiniest one runway shack in Alaska or Siberia to the massive bustling city like international airports of New York City or Paris. It’s mostly the latter most world travelers are familiar with, as its those airports that serve as the transportation portals from one country to another, from one major city in one country to one major city in another. What ports were a hundred years ago and magic doorways are in fairy tales, airports are to the modern traveler, and are a part of going nearly anywhere.
The Galileo Galilei International Airport is located in Pisa, Italy, and is the largest airport in that city. It services airlines from all over Europe and North America, including Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, and Delta. One of the two main airports in Tuscany, Italy, the Galileo Galilei International Airport is named after the famous scientist and astronomer Galileo Galilei. It's located in the San Giusto neighborhood of Pisa, less than two kilometers from the city's central train station, and very close to the city's main center.
From the airport, transportation lines including both train and bus run into the city and from there out into the rest of Tuscany and Italy. It's also possible to take either train or bus from the Galileo Galilei International Airport to the Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence, Italy, from where it is possible to travel all over Italy and Europe on the continent's extensive and luxurious rail systems.
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Other than the Galileo Galilei International Airport, there is only one main international airport in the entire Tuscany region - the Peretola International Airport in Florence, Italy. The Peretola airport is also often referred to as the Amerigo Vespucci Airport named after the famous explorer of Italy's earlier centuries. Compared to most international airports, the Peretola airport is relatively small, with a single main runway of less than 2000 meters. Due to its size and lack of capacity for some of the world's larger airliners, it is often used only as a second option to the much larger and better-equipped Galileo Galilei International Airport in Pisa.
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In contrast with the smaller Peretola airport, the Galileo Galilei International Airport is a large and widely used international airport landing planes from all over the world. Its main runway is 2993 meters long, long enough to accept any plane in existence today, and allowing the airport to accept aircraft from all over the world, from the largest cargo transport to the smallest single engine plane. The Galileo Galilei International Airport also boasts a second runway of 2792 meters, also long enough to accept almost any aircraft. These two runways make it possible to facilitate a constant and never ceasing flow of commerce, tourism, travel, industry, and transportation in and out of the city with a maximum in speed and efficiency. By allowing the largest cargo planes to land, the Galileo Galilei International Airport makes Pisa a hub for global trade and commerce, benefiting the city almost at once and Italy through the side effects Pisa's economic prosperity can then provide to the rest of Italy's citizen base.
Because of the connections from the rest of Europe and North America, the Galileo Galilei International Airport also makes the airport a main hub for tourists from around the world. It's easy for an American, English, or French tourist to simply fly into Pisa and go from the airport into the nearby city center to enjoy the city's rich and varied history. Then from there, if he or she so pleases, the tourist can travel throughout the rest of Italy and even the rest of Europe if he or she is a true adventurer.
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One of the main reasons people fly into Pisa through the Galileo Galilei International Airport is to see the city's rich and varied history. It boasts almost 2500 years of culture, tradition, and archaeological remains, from the ruins of Rome to the intricate architecture of the renaissance. Archaeologists often disagree as to the initial date of the city's founding - or, at least, the initial date at which the area was settled, because the city wasn't always named Pisa - but most have settled on a time period of around the fifth century before Christ. Pisa is located on the western coast of the Italian peninsula, and historians believe that the city was originally a trading colony founded by one of the ancient civilizations in existence at the time - perhaps the Greeks or the Etruscans. Whoever it was, though, it was likely a naval trading hub for the Greeks and the Gauls. An Etruscan necropolis was discovered during excavations near the city, pointing towards the Etruscans as the original founders. Even ancient Roman writings refer to Pisa as "an old city," pointing to the fact that Pisa was likely much older than even Roman presence in the area. Virgil even references Pisa as a great and highly developed city at the time of the founding of Rome in his Aeneid, though it is worth noting that Virgil wrote during the height of Roman civilization and was writing an epic, not a historical account.
Since those times, Pisa became a center for culture, art, history, and civilization, with a bustling population and influence that expanded throughout the Italian peninsula. It's complex river system made the city easy to defend, allowing the city to remain independent and relatively untouched even during the decay and fall of the Roman Empire. This was a time when many of the other cities of northern Italy fell prey to raiders and warring local lords and rulers. In the seventh century, Pisa came to the aid of Pope Gregory the First by supplying ships in his military endeavors against the Byzantines of Ravenna.
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After the middle ages, Pisa continued its rise in influence, especially with the fall of the overall structure of Roman rule and the increased focus on the individual city for power. In the 11th century, Pisa acquired fame as one of the four main Marine Republics of Italy, and had command over a powerful military and commercial naval fleet. It was in constant conflict with the Saracens, who had bases in Sardinia and Corsica until their defeat in 1017, which gave Pisa supremacy in local waters.
Throughout all of Pisa's history, the city was growing both in terms of culture and influence, and the city today bears all the markers of a civilizing force that changed the face of Europe and the world at large - stunning architecture that has stood fast for centuries, ruins from a time when Rome ruled most of Europe, and a people with a past and traditions as rich as those found anywhere on Earth.
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Because of the city's rich and varied history, Pisa is one of Italy's many great tourist attractions and, as such, makes the Galileo Galilei International Airport one of the busiest airports in Italy. Ancient, medieval, and renaissance architecture - the most famous of which is, of course, the great Leaning Tower of Pisa - all provide a great attraction for people wanting to see Europe and the history of a great and ancient city. Besides this, Pisa is a classic Italian city, with all the advantages - a gorgeous language, amazing food, outdoor cafes, coffee shops in a place where coffee shops first had their start, wine, sun, and the comfortable climate of the Mediterranean.
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The Galileo Galilei International Airport is, as we've stated, very close to the center of the city of Pisa - only about a 10-minute bus ride, in fact. That proximity makes the Galileo Galilei International Airport a great place to fly into, simply because it's such a short ride into the city to reach a nearby hotel or wherever else it is you plan to stay. You can even travel straight from the airport to the train station and from there to anywhere in Italy you want to go. Thanks to the European Union's widespread rail network system, you can travel from Italy to anywhere else in the European Union with a minimum of cost and effort for the distance.
Because Pisa is right on the coast, the Galileo Galilei International Airport is very low - at only two meters of elevation in fact. Pilots landing in the Galileo Galilei International Airport have to realize the atmospheric differences between landing at sea level and landing at higher elevation. Passengers, of course, have nothing to worry about - landing at sea level certainly isn't any more difficult than landing at elevation - if anything, it's actually easier - it just means a slightly different method of calculating things. When you fly into the Galileo Galilei International Airport, you'll be flying over the Mediterranean, and get a glimpse of the gorgeous blue waters of the sea on your way into one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
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The Galileo Galilei International Airport is run by the Societa Aeroporto Toscana S.p.A, or SAT - the corporation in charge of many of the airports in the Tuscany region. The SAT is responsible for air traffic, infrastructure, and passenger services at the Galileo Galilei International Airport, and is responsible for managing the development and expansion of the airport as need arises. So far, most economists agree that the SAT is doing a fairly good job in its management of the airport - the balance books have been on the side of credit rather than deficit ever since 1995, and freight and passenger service has been on the way up since 1997. There are a lot of people in a lot of positions who really wish that they could boast such increases over that kind of a timeline.
The Galileo Galilei International Airport also boasts a modern and very effective website, in both Italian and English, that summarizes everything one might need to know about the airport before flying into it, from contact information, email, phone numbers, train timetables, taxi services, and even things like shopping and job opportunities. That website is a valuable tool for those who might wish to research the airport from an official perspective before flying into it.
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There are a lot of services available to passengers deplaning or waiting to board at the Galileo Galilei International Airport, so if you plan on flying there or flying from there, you may want to look into what it has to offer. If you plan on flying to Italy and going from there and want a car, you're in luck - the Galileo Galilei International Airport offers nine different car rental companies to choose from, letting you take the best balance between cost and service to let you get exactly what you want for the price. There are also full restaurants, bars, shops, and seventy sub concessionaries for that quick drink or bite to eat. No matter what you're looking for in terms of customer service, there's a good chance the Galileo Galilei International Airport can give it to you for a competitive price.
So, next time you fly to Italy, consider using the services of the Galileo Galilei International Airport. Check out ticket websites to see where the cheapest or best flights are, and consider spending some time looking at the marvels of Italian history as exemplified by the architectural marvels of the city of Pisa. Learn as much as you can before you go - remember, the more you know about what you want, the more you are likely to get exactly that, and get it for the best possible price. A good combination of cost and enjoyment makes for a great trip.
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