Every place that respects itself is full of secrets, curiosities and things to discover. After all, it is precisely these details that make a place in the world even more fascinating: when it comes to Pisa there is only the embarrassment of choice.
It is unthinkable not to devote yourself to the discovery of the Tower of Pisa, famous all over the world even among tourists who have not yet got to see it up close: this is because it represents the emblem of the city, in some respects you can say of the Region, because it tells the story, the influence of past centuries, the power that Pisa has been in times gone by.
Curiosity about the tower
The Leaning Tower is located in the Square of Miracles together with the Cathedral, the Baptistry and the Camposanto, places that every year welcome a large number of tourists from all over the world: certainly there is the data of construction, the 1173, but not the name of the builder who is still at the center of a heated debate. It seems that for many years, until recent excavations, the project has been attributed from Vasari to Bonanno Pisano, but more likely the tower is the work of Gherardo.
As for the features we all know of its slope, behind which there are no great mysterious motives, but incorrect calculations in the construction. The best known story is this: during the Middle Ages, the tower was visited by people belonging to aristocratic families (for this reason the steps are marble and not wooden as they should have been). When the third ring was built the entire construction, due to the distribution of weight on the foundations not perfect, tilted.
The work was obviously interrupted and resumed in 1275. It must be said that the strong inclination of the tower has also contributed to the characteristics of the ground below: even today one part of the building rests on a marshy ground, while the other on a more stable one.
The other three floors were built with a reverse inclination to try to balance the structure, decreasing the problem, but not solving it. Over the years many architects have tried various attempts to bring the tower back to its perpendicular position, but none apparently have succeeded yet. The leaning tower proves it.
Among the curiosities about the Tower of Pisa it is impossible not to tell that at the top of the tower there are 7 bells and it is here that Galileo Galilei performed experiments on the equations of a falling body.
Recent history of the Tower of Pisa
In 1944 a very strong bombardment threatened the stability of the tower, although it did not suffer any damage.
It remained closed to visits for about 11 years, during which time the architects managed to bring it from 5.5% to 5% of slope, thus recovering half a degree of inclination.
Today the tower is controlled and preserved thanks to state-of-the-art technological means.
How many tourists?
Recent industry research data confirms that Pisa is still one of the most visited cities in the world. In 2018, more than 3 million tourists visited the Cathedral, and over 1 million chose the leaning tower and the Baptistry.
We look forward to visiting these magical places again. For now, we'll let you know.
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