In our trip to Italy this past summer, visiting Pisa was a must. My engineer husband is fascinated by the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and rightly so. It's hard to comprehend just how much it leans - no matter how many pictures you've seen or books you've read - until you're standing right next to it. Seriously, how is it still standing?
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually the bell tower for the city. It is in the same area as the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Campo Santo (the cemetery). The leaning tower leans because it's essentially built on marshland. Which means that all of the surrounding buildings lean slightly, too. It's just not as obvious. This picture shows all four of those buildings. The Baptistery is the round building. The Campo Santo cemetery is the low building in the left-hand corner. And the Cathedral is the building with the silver dome.
The Leaning Tower is hollow inside, with a spiral staircase surrounding the hollow center. The grooves on the staircase are worn on different sides, depending on the lean of the tower. You can definitely feel the lean as you are climbing the stairs and standing on the top. When you reach the top, you can see the bells. This bell is hung straight, but because the tower leans so much, one side is touching the wall.
This is my favorite picture of our trip to Pisa. This is the Cathedral, with a Leaning Tower photobomb. :)
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy.
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