Gordy’s Tour of Italy: The Leaning Tower of Pisa is Definitely Worth Seeing

After attending a Lutheran church service in Livorno, we traveled north to Pisa, which is along the coast. Pisa was the birthplace of Galileo Galilei.

When I first entered the area and saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I marveled it could stand for so long. It's the freestanding bell tower of the Cathedral of Pisa. Remember, there have been earthquakes in this part of the world, not to mention the wars. I was told by one of the food vendors that during World War II, the Allies knew the Nazis were using the Tower as a lookout but decided not to destroy it because of it's historical significance. Italy was an ally of Germany and Japan, part of the Axis Alliance.

The foundation was laid in August 1173 and it was opened in 1360. There were two significant stoppages of work on the 185-foot-high marble structure due to wars. The first for 94 years and the second for 88 years. As luck would have it, those stoppages kept the tower from collapsing. The Leaning Tower was closed from 1989 to 2001 for restoration work, including stabilization. Those involved in the work believe it should be stable for at least another 300 years.

After completing the first three stories, builders saw the uneven settling of its foundations in the soft ground. The first war stoppage allowed it to settle. Work stopped again just before finishing the top, which has seven bells. Each bell represents a note of the musical major scale. The largest bell weighs nearly 4 tons. Early in the 20th century, the bells were silenced because it was believed the movement could worsen the Tower's lean.

There are just about 300 steps to the top, and I did make the journey there. The number of steps are no big deal, but the incline of them did cause me to pause at a couple of stories on my way up, and they are so narrow that people coming down (or going up as the case may be) do make for a crowded situation. There's a great view from the top, as you can see here.

Virtually everyone there was taking a picture of themselves holding up or pushing down the Tower of Pisa. One of my fellow travelers took a few pictures of me either pushing it or holding it up and I had one taken of me catching the tower. Unfortunately they are on his camera and the only one on mine is a pusher.

To think one of the great wonders of the world was a mistake is amusing. Some say the grounds of the cathedral probably wouldn't see the millions of tourists that come each year to witness the architectural blunder if the mistake hadn't been made. I have a different point of view. Even without the lean, the structure is impressive. Would it be as famous if it wasn't leaning? Hopefully we'll never know.