Pisa`s Leaning Tower
The construction of the bell tower of the nearby Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta - as a matter of fact, that is the primary and real function of this 55-metre-tall tower having a diameter of about 15 metres and walls as thick as 4 metres at the bottom and 2.5 metres at the top - began in 1173.
The works lasted almost two centuries and were finished in 1350. The delay was due to the subsidence of the ground, to which the tower owes its famous inclination: in fact, the soil began to subside before the completion of the third floor.
The tower was closed to tourists in the last decade of the 20th century, and between 1990 and 2001 the famous monument underwent some important works to bring the inclination back to the one registered between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Nowadays the tower has been re-opened and tourists can climb its 293 steps to the top. A "Stendhal-syndrome place" offering a unique panorama: a view from above of the most important monuments, churches, palaces and villas of Pisa.
Post scriptum 1: if you are spending some weeks in a villa in Tuscany, plan a visit to Piazza dei Miracoli. And do not forget to take your camera and some bags for the souvenirs with you.
Post scriptum 2: you can find more information on the other monuments in Piazza dei Miracoli (the Duomo, the Baptistery and the Monumental Cemetery) in the previous page of this tourist guide to Pisa.
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