Quezi

Leaning Tower of Pisa - courtesy JackVersloot - CC-BY

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower of the cathedral in the Italian city of Pisa.

Outside of the city of Rome with its Collosseum and ancient temples, the Leaning Tower of Pisa may be the most famous landmark in Italy. Though it was designed to stand vertically, the tower started to lean to the southeast soon after construction began in 1173.  Today the tower leans to the southwest. The height of the tower is 183.27 ft from the ground on the lowest side and 186.02 ft on the high side. In 2008, engineers announced that the tower had been stabilized so that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated it would be stable for at least 200 years.

The design was flawed from the beginning due to a shallow foundation set in unstable subsoil. The tower began to sink after construction reached the third floor in 1178. Construction was then halted for almost a century due to recurring warfare. In 1272, construction began again. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built higher floors with one side taller than the other. This made the tower begin to lean in the other direction and because of this, the tower is actually curved. The seventh floor was completed in 1319 and The bell chamber was not added until 1372. Once inside the tower, ascending the off-center circular staircase feels like bobbing from side to side on wide waves.

A visit to Pisa’s Cathedral and Baptistery are highly recommended as well. Neither is as famous as the tower, but both are lovely. The Baptistery is also the largest in Christendom.

For more information about Italy