Leaning Tower of Pisa
Piazza del Duomo
Kay - holding up the tower
Great picture day in PisaSaturday, November 27th
Today we slept in until mid-morning and changed hotels in Florence. Not too bad - as our new place is actually closer to the city center and is a bit nicer.
We worked our way to the train station and took a mid-day train to the town of Pisa, Italy. It was a 1-hour connection. We set off on a walk across the city to the famous "Leaning Tower" of Pisa. A must-see site while in Italy.
The Leaning Tower is 1 of many ancient buildings in the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). It is the free-standing bell tower of the cathedral. Construction of the tower occurred in 3 stages across 177 years - beginning in 1173. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the 3rd floor in 1178. This was due to a 3 meter foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil - a design that was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for nearly a century due to war and turmoil in the Republic of Pisa. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle (otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled)
In 1272, construction continued. Engineers compensated for the tilt by building upper floors where 1 side had taller walls. Because of this, the tower is actually curved. Construction was halted a second time in 1284. The seventh floor was then completed in 1319. There are 7 bells - one for each note of the musical scale. The bell chamber was finally added in 1372.
In 1990, after 2 decades of stabilization studies, the tower was closed to the public. The bells were removed to relieve some wieght, cables were cinched to the 3rd floor, apartments and houses were vacated for safety, and the tower was slightly straightened. This feat was done by removing 50 cubic yards of soil under the raised end. The tower was straightened by 18 inches - returning it to its 1838 position. After a decade of reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the Tower was reopened to the public in December 2001. In May 2008, more dirt was removed from under the Tower. Engineers have stated the Tower has now stopped moving for the first time in history - and it should be stable for the next 200 years.
It's really interesting reading this story. We didn't get much information on-site today, but I'm looking at an internet article. I haven't found much on "Why they didn't just 'cut their losses' and end the project long ago". Well - I guess it makes for a unique tourist attraction. And - if they would have shelved the project - I wouldn't be writing about it today.
Kay and I took a few pictures while pretending to hold up the tower. It's a classic pose - everybody else was doing it.
We headed back into Florence. I did some much needed laundry and will soon be calling it a night.
No comments:
Post a Comment