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Pisa, Italy: June 2018

In June 2018, my friend and fellow English teacher Rob Williams and I went on a 3-week trip through 8 cities in 4 countries in Southern Europe. We started in Spain and on our way to the Greek islands, we had a 24-hour layover in Italy…one night in Pisa!

Our first stop was of course what the town is famous for: the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Tower of Pisa is a freestanding bell tower located behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in the city’s Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), after the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.

The tower’s tilt began during construction in the 12^th century, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure’s weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed in the 14^th century. It gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) in the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries.

The height of the tower is 55.86 meters (183.27 feet) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 meters (185.93 feet) on the high side. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons. The tower has 296 steps. Prior to the restoration between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned 5.5 degrees but the tower now leans about 4 degrees.

Also located in Cathedral Square is the Piazza del Duomo, the Pisa Cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.

The church of Santa Maria della Spina located on the Arno river and erected in 1230 in the Pisan Gothic style. Della spina, meaning “of the thorns,” is derived from the crown of thorns placed on Christ during his Passion and Crucifixion.

Shots around Pisa