After a relaxing drive through the Tuscan countyside, we arrived in Pisa to visit the Cathedral of Pisa in the Piazza dei Miracoli. It is the home of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower is part of the cathedral.
Below, the baptistry is to the left, the cathedral in the center, and bell tower to the right.
The tower was built in several layers over nearly 200 years. The first three levels were built in 1173. Due to the soil of clay mixture, the ground was not strong enough to support the weight if the marble and tower was already leaning with just the first three levels.
Nothing more was done with the structure for 100 years because no one had a solution. From 1272-1319, the solution that was selected was to build the next levels titling the opposite way for four more levels....that did not really work the way they planned and the angle of the leaning increased.
In 1372, the bell chamber was completed. The bell is no longer in use because it contributed to the instability of the tower.
In 1990, engineers anchored the tower with steel which has paused the angle of the tilt.
Did you feel like you were leaning while standing in front of it? �� mom anddad
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