The leaning tower of Pisa is an iconic building that has been a subject of fascination for centuries.
The leaning tower is one of Italy’s most famous landmarks and many people come from all over the world to visit it every year.
In this article, we will learn about some fascinating facts related to this historic monument!
What’s the story behind it?
The leaning tower of Pisa is considered to be the most iconic building in Italy. The construction started in 1173 but only got completed after nearly 200 years! It was opened to the public in the 14th century.
It took so long because they encountered major difficulties while constructing this structure, including financial problems and wars that kept delaying its completion.
This building is famous for all those pictures of people either leaning on the tower or pushing up against it.
It’s become the main attraction of going to the tower. But its leaning feature is not intentional and they’ve made a lot of renovations to it so it won’t fall. Good thing too because the leaning tower has not fallen over for the last 800 years!
Why is it leaning?
The leaning tower’s angle is not the result of poor construction.
The lean was caused by a slow deformation in the soil under its foundation, which has continued to this day. This makes it difficult to design and construct foundations that will be stable yet flexible enough for centuries.
To prevent further leaning after completion, four massive support pillars were built to reinforce the leaning side of the tower.
How tall is it?
The leaning tower was originally 60 meters high and now, after several renovations, its height has been reduced to 55m (180ft).
It took over 200 years for this building project to be completed! The leaning tower still stands as an important landmark and a testimony of the will, tenacity, and creativity of its architects.
So, will the Leaning Tower of Pisa ever fall?
Since the leaning tower is on unstable ground, experts believe that its leaning angle will continue to increase and it might eventually fall, but not likely in the next 200 years or so.
However, there are no plans for this structure to be torn down because UNESCO considers it a masterpiece of architecture.
The leaning tower was closed off in 1990 to work on reinforcements to the structure. They were successful in keeping it upright and lessening the leaning angle of the tower.
It’s been open since then and every year hundreds of people climb up its tight spiral stairs to experience the leaning sensation and enjoy beautiful views from it.
What can you do when you get there?
Once you get here, you can take one of the iconic tourist photo of holding the tower up.
You can also climb up the stairs to the top of the tower for an overlooking view. There are 296 steps, about 8 stories high. Whew!
It’s not the only leaning tower in Pisa
Pisa is actually home to a number of leaning towers. If you’re interested, visit St. Michele dei Scalzi church’s bell tower and St. Nicola’s church’s bell tower.
The leaning tower is only a part of a bigger architectural site. It’s the last of four buildings to be constructed in what is known as the Piazza dei Miracoli of Pisa.
The other buildings are the Pisa Cathedral, the baptistry, and the cemetery (Camposanto).
It’s also part of the Piazza del Duomo UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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