PISA
The ecclesiastical city of Pisa, located in western Tuscany, began as a quiet seaside settlement some 3,000 years ago, but is now known throughout the world for its Leaning Tower. But it is only one of four imposing white marble structures, which combine Moorish, Gothic & Romanesque architectural elements, in Cathedral Square (aka Campo dei Miracoli - Field of Miracles) located on an immense green lawn in NW Pisa. In addition to the Campanile (the leaning bell tower), there is the enormous & breathtaking Duomo (cathedral), the circular Baptistery, the largest of its kind in all of Italy, & the walled Camposanto (holy field), one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. Together they form one of the most famous building groups in the world & are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
More info& photos here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campo_dei_Miracoli
Pisa, which has retained its medieval appearance, has many other, often overlooked historic monuments to offer, in addition to the “Field of Miracles”. The city is also known for its excellent university which was established in 1343 & has become one of Italy's top schools. For the many other interesting sights to see in the city, please check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisa#Main_sights
Did you know – that Galileo, the famous physicist, was from Pisa?
LEANING TOWER
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the campanile (freestanding bell tower) of the cathedral of of Pisa. Located behind the cathedral, it is the 3rd oldest structure in cathedral square, after the cathedral & the baptistery.
The white marble tower was built in three stages over a period of about 177 years. Construction of the first floor began in 1173. After construction progressed to the 3rd floor in 1178, the tower began to sink due to a mere 3m foundation set into weak, unstable subsoil, so the design was flawed from the beginning. There is still debate & controversy about the identity of the architect of the tower.
Because the Pisans were almost continually engaged in battles, construction was subsequently halted for almost a century. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle, otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled. Although clocks were temporarily installed on the 3rd floor in 1198, it wasn't until 1272 that construction on the tower resumed. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built the higher floors with one side taller than the other, but this made the tower begin to lean in the other direction. That is why the tower is actually curved. Construction was halted again in 1284 after the Pisans were defeated in another battle. The 7th floor was completed in 1319 but the bell-chamber was not added until 1372. [There are seven bells, one for each note of the musical scale. The largest one was installed in 1655.]
At one point, the tower, which was 183 ft high on the lowest side & 186 ft high on the highest side, was leaning at an angle of 3.97 degrees. That meant that the top of the tower was 12 ft 10 in from where it would stand if the tower had been perfectly vertical.
In 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling, but the Pisans decided they wanted to retain the current tilt because of its vital role in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa. Many methods have since been proposed to stabilize the tower, including the addition of 800 metric tons of lead counterweights to the raised end of the base.
In January 1990, after over two decades of study & debate on the subject, the tower was closed to the public. The tower was slightly straightened by winching up one end & anchoring it, then removing 38 cubic meters of soil from underneath the raised end. The tower was thus straightened by 18 inches, to the exact position it had in 1838. After a decade of corrective reconstruction & stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001, and was declared stable for at least another 300 years.
In May 2008, after the removal of another 70 metric tons of earth, engineers announced that the tower had been stabilized, again, & that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They then declared it would be stable for at least 200 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa
The official tower site including a photo gallery: http://torre.duomo.pisa.it/index_eng.html
For a list of the many other leaning towers all over the world, check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower
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