Pisa are on course to return to Serie A for the first time in 34 years. Now under the ownership of wealthy businessman Alexander Knaster, it is a club transformed. But the real catalyst for change this season has been the arrival of Filippo Inzaghi in the summer.
After all, Pisa were languishing in the bottom half of Serie B last season. The legendary Italian striker-turned-coach has brought momentum to the project, an improved professionalism that looks set to put this famous city back in football's big time.
Stefano Moreo, the forward who has turned his career around this season, talks of Inzaghi's enthusiasm making the difference. Giovanni Bonfanti, the young defender recruited from Atalanta signed only after a personal phone call from Inzaghi himself.
Simone Canestrelli, recently linked with a move to AC Milan, has been struck by his obvious passion for the project. Antonio Caracciolo, the captain, says it is Inzaghi who has changed the mentality at the club, his charisma getting inside the heads of the players.
The result is that a club that once dropped as low as the fifth tier is five points clear of third-placed Spezia and on course for automatic promotion. "What has struck me about Filippo is the humility he has shown," sporting director Davide Vaira tells Sky Sports.
"It is the way that he relates to all the club's employees, not just the bosses. I think he creates a special empathy and enthusiasm. It comes from his character, his approach to people, his way of communicating, his commitment and that humility."
A thought occurs. What is it that makes Inzaghi want to do all this? This is someone who has won everything, a Champions League winner with AC Milan, a World Cup winner with Italy. But here he is, now 51 years of age, trying to make the difference in Serie B.
Putting that question to the man himself, it is clear that the hunger so evident on the pitch is still inside him. "I am driven by passion," Inzaghi tells Sky Sports. "The same passion that has given me impetus throughout my career from the very first steps."
He adds: "When I decided to be a coach after Milan, I went to Venezia in Serie C, because nothing scares me. I enjoy doing this job. I enjoy bringing to my teams and my players all that I was as a footballer. It is a job that is still giving me a lot of satisfaction."
His coaching career has ebbed and flowed. There were back-to-back promotions with Venezia and another with Benevento. But his experiences in the top division have been more awkward, from that first job with Milan to brief stints at Bologna and Salernitana.
Inzaghi think he is better now. "I have almost 350 games now as a professional coach and clearly you are always learning something because there is always something to learn. I think a coach must evolve and grow over time to succeed," he explains.
"In the free moments I have had I have tried to study the work of better and more established colleagues and, of course, I am lucky enough to be able to often share ideas with my brother Simone, who I consider to be one of the best coaches in Europe."
Simone is the head coach of Inter Milan who guided his club to the Serie A title last season. In their coaching careers, it is the little brother who has shone brightest. Though both played for Italy in their playing days, it was Pippo who was the superstar.
He remains among the top scorers in Champions League history, memorably netting twice in the 2007 final against Liverpool. Famed for playing off the shoulder of the last defender, his ability to sniff out a goal from nowhere earned him his place among the elite.
In an era of more multi-functional footballers, one wonders where an Inzaghi might fit into the modern game, a player who runs away from the ball in the build-up rather than towards it. He acknowledges it was a different time but sees football as more cyclical.
"My period was a period of great strikers, all over the world," says Inzaghi. "It was also a golden era for Italian football. Certainly, players like that are more difficult to find now, there are fewer of them, but I think it is a cycle that is destined to change again."
Would Inzaghi, the coach, have got on with Inzaghi, the player? "I think we would have a very good relationship," he replies. "Because as a footballer I was someone who scored a lot of goals! And I cared a lot about my work, the team and the result of the match."
All of which still inform his coaching. "I do not like too much dribbling," he confesses. "I believe in football you need to be as vertical as possible." But it is that seriousness to his work, that need for discipline, that is the biggest takeaway from his playing days.
"From the first day of preparation at the beginning of the season, I worked a lot on the fundamental principles of a group, the rules of mutual respect, a sense of duty and responsibility. On the pitch, I want my team to be able to stay orderly and compact."
Caracciolo, 34, says pre-season was the toughest of his career. Nicholas Bonfanti, his team-mate, talks of them having to "run like crazy" on the pitch and now feeling the benefits of that summer work. On 10 occasions, Pisa have scored the opener in the first half.
"With Filippo and his staff, we tried to create a different mentality, a culture of work, of respect for the rules," says Vaira, who joined the club himself in the summer. Everything came together. "It was the right man at the right place at the right time," he adds.
"We had inherited many players who, for one reason or another, did not do their best last season, but they were still very strong players. So I think that this year, this group of inherited players, along with the players we have brought in, has created the right mix."
Pisa would be a welcome addition to Serie A, its Leaning Tower visible from the Arena Garibaldi. The crowds are at their highest level for well over a decade and sure to rise closer to those heady days of the '80s if promoted. Excitement in the city is building.
"The financial impact of promotion would be huge because of the TV rights," says Vaira. "The arrival of teams like Juventus, Inter, Milan, Napoli and the derby with Fiorentina would attract a lot of fans. It would be a plus for restaurants, bars and hotels.
"But then there is the emotional impact on the city too. Thirty-four years is an eternity when it comes to football." But there is still work left to do. "Unfortunately, the season is long," warns Vaira. "Just three seasons ago, Pisa lost the play-off final in extra time."
It is with that in mind that there will be no let up. "We will continue to work seriously, as we have done since the first day." Under a coach with the mentality of Filippo Inzaghi, the message from everyone associated with Pisa is that there really is no other way.
