Europe
Acropolis/Parthenon
Alhambra
Amalfi Drive
British Museum
Canals of Venice
Cappadocia
Chambord Chateau
Chartres Cathedral
Colosseum of Rome
Delphi
Dubrovnik
Eiffel Tower
Fjords of Norway
Florence Cityscape
Hagia Sophia
Hermitage Museum
Kremlin
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Louvre Museum
Matterhorn
Mezquita of Cordoba
Mont-St-Michel
Neuschwanstein Castle
Pompeii
Portofino
Prague Old Town
Santorini
Sistine Chapel
St. Basil's Cathedral
St. Mark's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
Stonehenge
Topkapi Palace
Uffizi Gallery
Versailles
Asia
Angkor Wat
Baalbek
Bagan Temples/Pagodas
Bali
Banaue Rice Terraces
Borobudur
Forbidden City
Golden Pavilion
Golden Temple
Great Wall of China
Hong Kong Harbour/City
Kashmir Valley
Katmandu Valley
Ladakh
Li River Cruise
Lijiang Shargri-La
Meenakshi
Mt. Everest
Petronas Twin Towers
Potala Palace at Lhasa
Qin Terra Cotta Warriors
Shwedagon Stupa
Taj Mahal
Temple Emerald Buddha
Varanasi/Ganges
Yangtze River Cruise
Africa & Middle East
Abu Simbel
Burj Al Arab
Damascus Old City
Egyptian Museum
Jerusalem Old City
Karnak Temple
Marrakesh
Mecca
Nile River Cruise
Ngorongoro Crater
Petra
Pyramids of Egypt
Sahara Desert
Serengeti Migration
Valley of the Kings
Victoria Falls
North America
Banff National Park
Carlsbad Caverns
Chichen Itza
Grand Canyon
Metropolitan Museum
New York Skyline
Niagara Falls
San Francisco Bay/City
Teotihuacan
Yellowstone
Yosemite
South America
Amazon Rain Forest
Angel Falls
Carnival in Rio
Easter Island
Galapagos Islands
Iguazu Falls
Machu Picchu
Rio Panoramic Views
Other world areas
Antarctica Cruise
Ayers Rock
Bora Bora
Great Barrier Reef
Website
Site map
About my credentials & website
Reader testimonials
Email me your opinion
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Candid tips & insights
NEXT Top 100 Wonder
Top 100 Wonder rankings
NEXT Italy Wonder
MENU
Why the
Leaning Tower of Pisa
is special
Its tilt seems to defy gravity – you wonder why it doesn’t topple.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
tips & insights
Is
there more
to appreciate
than just the tilt?
Even if the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy didn't lean, visitors would come to marvel at its design (look at the photograph and imagine the tower upright).
And, the tower is part of a magnificent Romanesque architectural complex that includes the famous Baptistry and Cathedral of Pisa.
What
is
the tilt history?
The Leaning Tower of Pisa has experienced ongoing drama:
Tilting
began
8 centuries ago
The tilting of the structure is not new. Soon after this 800-year-old campanile (free-standing
bell tower) was begun, workers noticed a risky inclination caused by soft subsoil. Partial remedies were
applied and the architecturally flawed tower was completed about 70 years later.
Over
the centuries...
The tilt angle of the 56-meter (182-feet)
tall Leaning Tower of Pisa continued to increase.
Today
The top edge lists about 5 meters (16 feet) from the
perpendicular, creating a gravity-defying appearance.
Will
the
Leaning Tower of Pisa
eventually collapse?
Some experts predict an any-year-now collapse. Others believe that the current restoration project will save this world wonder.
Can
I climb it?
From 1990 to 2004, the internal steps of Leaning Tower of Pisa were closed to the public, out of concern for both structure and visitors. You can now climb the 294-step spiral staircase to the belfry - as a million people did prior to 1990.
M E N U
NEXT Top 100 Wonder
Top 100 Wonder rankings
NEXT Italy Wonder
More Italy
features
Italy Wonder Guide
Clickable Italy Wonder Map
Italian Phrase Guide
Italian Cuisine Guide
Other pages & sections
that may interest you
Top 1000 Wonder list
Wonder Guides to 17 countries
Special Topic Guides
Site Map
About Howard Hillman
What Readers Say
Email me your opinion
sponsored ad
Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides
Click links for tips & insights
NATION / REGION |
| CRUISE GUIDES | SPECIAL TOPICS | OTHER TIPS & INSIGHTS |
| ||||
| MORE | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
|
| |||
|
|
| ||
|
|
|
©2009 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications
