Tuscany - Italy - page 156

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Obviously, you've come here primarily to see the Campanile (Leaning
Tower)

( % 050-560547; www.opapisa.it; € 15, € 2 reservation fee; Apr to
early June 9:30am-8:30pm, mid-June to Sept 9:30am-11pm, Oct 9:30am-7pm,
Nov-Feb 9:30am-5pm, Mar 9:30am-6pm). The experience of climbing the 300
skewed steps to the 56m-tall (185-ft.) summit is slightly claustrophobic and tir-
ing, but not undoable. Millions of tourists have created curved grooves in the
middle of each step, making the marble stairs smooth and slippery--flip-flops are
not recommended. Walking up the stairs gives you the feeling of being on a list-
ing ship at sea. You almost hesitate to touch the downward-facing wall for fear of
helping topple the tower.
Guards strictly enforce the 30-minute limit of the site, herding visitors up the
steps and allowing them only a couple of intermediate stops on balconies for
views. Once you're on top, the countdown begins: When your time is up, you'll
be brought down again. To be fair, the time allotted is more than enough for
everyone but die-hard engineering or architectural students.
The views from the top of the tower—taking in the old city and the moun-
tains in the distance—are spectacular. Given the 4.5m (15-ft.) slant from the per-
pendicular, it's hard to believe this massive tower is secure as you peek over the
edge. But it's actually more solid than ever (see “She Leans Me, She Leans Me
Not—the Tipping Tower,” below).
So is it worth the

555

17? I'd say just barely. It's fun to think of hundreds
of years of tourists climbing the same steps, fascinated to lean over the same bal-
cony from which Galileo allegedly dropped his experimental weights to prove his
principles of gravity. And you'll be able to look at pictures of the Leaning Tower
for the rest of your life and say, “Yeah, I was up there.” But if you're on a tight
budget, you shouldn't skip a meal (or a couple of meals) to get to the top. The
most impressive part of the Tower is really just seeing the giant thing stuck into
the ground at its goofy angle.
If you want to make the climb, it's best to reserve in advance. Tickets need to
be ordered at least 15 days ahead, at www.opapisa.it, which adds a € 2 fee to the
€

€

15 to

€

15 ticket price. If you're not able to plan that far in advance, it's often possible
to show up and purchase a ticket on the same day, but arrive before 9am or else

Buying Tickets to the Sites of the Campo di Miracoli
If you plan to enter more than two sites, you'll save money by purchasing a sin-
gle ticket that covers every major tourist attraction except the biggie, the Leaning
Tower. Unfortunately, the way the tickets are priced is needlessly complicated. For
entry to either the Baptistery, the Camposanto, or the Museo Dell'Opera, the price
is € 5 each. For entry to two of the above sites, the charge is € 6, for three sites
€ 8, and all four (adding in the Cathedral) € 10. Tickets can be purchased at the
office at the north end of the piazza. For more information, see www.opapisa.it .
Note: As of early 2006, the Sinopie Museum (with sketches of the Camposanto
murals) is closed indefinitely; in the future it will be linked in some typically con-
voluted fashion to the rest of the group.