What You Should Know About Pisa
Modern Pisa is a small but historic town packed with culture and a long, but interesting story. The Leaning Tower is what draws crowds in from all over the world to visit the town. The construction of the tower dates back to the 12th century to serve its purpose as a bell tower. Although it already started to tilt at the beginning of it’s 200 year long construction period, the rulers of the town couldn’t help but continue to add more floors to it. It’s said that the building began to lean as soon as the first floor was completed.
We can blame the soil for the tilt of the building. The soil on which the tower sits on is a soft clay, highly compressible and is effected by changes in ground water level. An engineer who studied the mystery of the leaning tower compared it to trying to build a tower of bricks on top a soft mattress. The bell chamber was the last to be built, the cherry on top for this building. There are 6 steps up to the bell chamber on the “south” side and only 4 steps on the opposite side. This is what gives the upper part of the tower its curved shape. In the 90’s, it was considered dangerous to the public so tours of the tower were forbidden and the building was roped off. In 2001, a program of structure and strengthening was completed making it safe for the public to enter.
A ticket to go inside the tower costs about $20 USD. When buying tickets on the day, you’ll be given a time slot to return for this is the best way to organize the queue of visitors. You can purchase tickets in advance to avoid the long wait. Only 40 people are allowed inside at a time and children under 8 years old are prohibited from entering. You are allotted 35 minutes inside the tower and must leave purses or any kind of bag with security deposit downstairs. Kinda alot of rules but this is to secure the safety of all visitors.
The tower sits on a grass quad, which is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Pisa Cathedral and Baptistry were built on this quad which was deemed the Square of Miracles. In the north part of this Square of Miracles, you can find Camposanto Monumentale which is a historic cemetery that literally translates to “holy field”. Records believe it was built around a shipload of sacred soil from Golgotha, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion in Jerusalem. Hmm..
When I visited Pisa we did not end up climbing to the top of the tower of Pisa butttttt we did take all the touristy pictures standing in front of it. Kissing it, holding it in your hand, pinching it .. it’s one of those things. How could you not relish in this great tourist opportunity. I got my pictures with this remarkable, white marble structure so I don’t think I’ll need to revisit anytime soon.
