The Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is
one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but would probably be so anyway,
even if it was vertical. The tower is the bell tower (campanile) of the
cathedral with which it shares the Campo dei Miracoli. The unusual design
of the tower resembles that of the Tower of Babel as described by the
Greek writer Herodotus. There are 294 steps in the bell tower and seven
bells tuned to a musical scale.
Construction began in 1173,
and by the time the third level was added in 1178, the lean was already
noticeable. WOrk stopped for almost a century because of Pisa's almost
constant wars with the neighboring city state of Florence and began again
in 1272 under the direction of Giovanni di Simone. Four further floors
were added, at a different angle to the lower ones, but construction had
to stop again in 1284 when Pisa was defeated in battle by Genoa. The
bell-chamber was finally started in 1372, fully 199 years after building
work had begun.
It is now known that the tile
is caused by the inadequate foundations sinking into the weak subsoil,
but before this was understood various attempts to correct the problem,
such as digging out the walkway round the bottom or Mussolini's project
in which concrete was poured into the foundations, simply made matters
worst.
Work started in 1999 to
strengthen the foundations and remove some of the subsoil on the high
side, and the tower was brought back to a lean of 13 degrees. It is now
hoped that it will remain a monument to the vision of its designer and a
testament to the twelfth century prestige and wealth of the city of Pisa.
You should not miss the
cathedral, bapistery and museum, the Church of Santa Catharina, the
National Museum of San Matteo. There is an entrance fee. Numbers are
strictly limited, and queues for the timed tickets are very long, so be
prepared. You can get to The Leaning Tower of Pisa by air to Pisa or rail
or bus from florence.
