The Grand Hotel de Garavan (1867), Hotel Bellevue (1873), Garavan Palace (1912) and Hotel des Anglais (1880, now gone) were all east of the old town and followed the opening of the Menton Garavan train station in 1869. They are all close to the Roman road Via Julia Augusta. Hotel Bellevue once had an Anglican Chapel, now gone. The auction that followed the hotel's bankruptcy in 1937 included 3000 bottles of wine.
Sam and companions spend two hours in Pisa, July 25, 1867 then depart for Leghorn. Mark Twain Project: Quaker City Itinerary
Pisa, a quiet town, with 25,000 inhab., is considered a favourable winter-residence for invalids on account of the mildness and moisture of its atmosphere. The heat in summer is oppressive. The Pisae of the ancients was one of the oldest cities of Etruria. It lay at the confluence of the Arnus and Auser (Serchio), which latter now empties itself into the sea. The present town, through which the Arno flows, lies about 2 1/2 M. from the coast.
The historic centre, which includes the Palais des Papes, the cathedral and the Pont d'Avignon, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 because of its architecture and importance during the 14th and 15th centuries.
A large part of the Camargue, the largest wetlands in France, is located on the territory of the commune, making it the largest commune in Metropolitan France in terms of geographic territory. (Maripasoula, French Guiana, is much larger than Arles).
The Gallic settlement on a rocky peak over the Rhône was called Bergoiata. Near the town is a sculpted bas relief of the god Mithras.