Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
She Leans Me, She Leans Me Not—
the Tipping Tower
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Construction began on a perfectly
straight tower in 1173. For a dozen years, as three levels were completed,
you can imagine the conversations: “Call me crazy, but I think the thing
is leaning . . .” By 1185, people had concluded that the tower was defi-
nitely tilting, and they halted construction to ponder the matter.
In 1275, after nearly a century of pondering, architects decided that
rather than try to correct the tilt, they would build the next levels tilted
in the opposite direction. This goofy solution now gives the tower a slight
banana shape. By 1284, construction was halted again. In 1360, the bel-
fry was added, of course leaning in yet another direction.
The 14,500-ton marble structure continued to tilt about a millimeter a
year, sinking into the soft soil around it. In 1838, engineers dug a basin
around the entrance because the doors had completely settled under-
ground. They also poked around the foundations, pumping out groundwa-
ter (which only served to accelerate the tilt).
By 1990, following the fatal collapse of a nearby church tower, author-
ities decided to close the Leaning Tower and deal with the issue. The top
was leaning 4.5m (15 ft.) from the vertical, and with nearly a million vis-
itors a year, they didn't want a disaster. So engineers placed 900 tons of
lead weights at the base, opposite the tilt, to even out the pressures. They
then wrapped huge steel hoops around the lower level to support the
stressed marble. Then engineers drilled the northern grounds to remove
silt and earth to counteract the tilt and solidify the earth below. Locals
worried that the engineers would do too much, and fix the tilt altogether,
killing their tourist industry.
Pisa reopened its tower at the end of 2001 after 11 years and over $30
million of investment. The result? The tower only leans as much as it did
in 1838, but it should remain that way for the next 300 years.
sparely decorated, with the waiflike St. John statue in the center of the room. A
carved wooden Jesus, in an odd pose, hangs from the altar. The other notable
quality of the Baptistery is its echoing acoustics, which you can test with an “acci-
dental” cough or two while standing in the center of the room.
Unknown to most visitors is the fact that most of the outdoor statues on the
piazza buildings are reproductions. You can see the originals up close and personal
at the
Museo Dell'Opera
5
9
(admission and hours same as for Camposanto).
The museum has a kid-friendly video kiosk with interactive displays about the
statues and monuments outside. You can zoom in and out, and spin the displays
for 360-degree views—a cheap way to duplicate the tower-top perspective. Each
room also has English descriptions of the works of art and artifacts. The items
