Leaning Tower of Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the seven wonders of the world and one of the most popular tourist attractions throughout the land. The town itself, Pisa is located in central Italy, in Tuscany which lies on the Ligurian Sea. The easiest way to get to the town is by train or bus from Florence. There is an opportunity to land at the local airport with direct flights from most major European cities.

Construction of leaning tower of Pisa on the cathedral began in August 1173. Five years later the third floor was finished and the slope was already beginning to become known, however, there was a long period of interruption of its construction because of the wars with Florence. The second phase of construction began before 1272, adding four new floors which are built at different angles from the previous three. During the 1284 battle with Genoa, again the construction was stopped. The tower was officially launched in 1372, nearly two hundred years after its foundations.

During construction many efforts were made to stop the leaning with the help of reinforcing structures. Later on, some of the columns and damaged parts were repaired to preserve the building for a long time however, even during its construction it becomes an attraction.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has eight floors as the top is a bell tower. The six floors are round, with arches of supporting columns. The interior is occupied by a spiral staircase with 294 steps leading to the bells.

The deflection of the tower is about 5 m and increases by 1 mm each year. In 1999 this world wonder was closed to visitors because it was restored. Some of the layers from the higher part were removed, resulting in the tower facing 13 degrees.

Today the interest of tourists has not abated. The tourists are willing to climb the leaning Tower of Pisa as there is always a large queue of tourists waiting to buy tickets to visit.