Officially known as Torre Pendente Di Pisa or leaning tower of Pisa, this monument located in the Italian region of Tuscany, specifically in the city of Pisa, is among the most visited in Europe and also in the world. Many of its visitors are attracted to its marked inclination rather than its architectural beauty or artistic interest, since it looks like it could fall one day. Join us to discover some curious facts that you may not know about this iconic monument:
1.- Originally the Tower of Pisa was conceived to be upright. However, the tower’s foundations were built on soft subsoil, which had difficulty supporting the tower’s weight, so as soon as its construction began in the year 1173, it’s started to lean.
two.- Although like the Venice Canal and the Roman Colosseum, it’s become an icon of Italy in the world, there are no historical records of the time that confirm who would have been the architect in charge of building this monument. However, even though there are still debates and several hypotheses about it, according to several sources, among them the historian Aretine Giorgio Vasari, its construction is attributed to the architect Bonano Pisano, who is said to have begun construction.
3.- Although it is not the largest tower in the world, it has only eight levels and a total height of 58.35 meters, with an estimated weight of 14,453 tons. Its construction was carried out in three stages and lasted for 197 years, since the works had to stop for almost 100 years because of the fear that it would fall if it continued to rise. Its construction was completed in 1370.
4.- Although it could be thought that it is the most inclined tower in the world, given its 4.5 degrees of inclination to the south, this honor corresponds to the Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabiwhich was accredited as such in 2010 by the Guinness book thanks to its 18 degrees of inclination.
5.- Although the leaning tower of Pisa is known throughout the world, what many ignore is that it was designed as part of an architectural ensemble. In fact, this tower is the bell tower of the cathedral Duomo of Pisa.
6.- In order to reinforce and stabilize its foundations, from 1990 to 2001 its access to the public was closed, since every year it inclined a few centimeters more and it was thought to be dangerous for its visitors.
Without a doubt, all these data make the tower of Pisa one of the most incredible and rare tourist sites on the planet. Therefore, if you ever plan to travel to Italy, remember to visit it and climb its 294 steps, from where you can contemplate one of the most privileged views of this city. But you can also enjoy other cultural attractions such as the square of miracles, the cathedral of the Duomo of Pisa and the baptistery, definitely an experience worth living.