Torre Pendente di Pisa, Pisa

We woke up early today as we had a big day ahead of us. After losing our planned time in Pisa yesterday due to forgetting what day it was, instead of today being an easy travel day to Florence we had to retrace our steps back to a Riomaggiore (two trains there and two trains back) to collect our belongings, still find time for Brad to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa and for us to check out the other amazing buildings in the square. And then we had to make our way to Florence.

Somehow we managed to fit it all in. After waking very early we made the quick walk back to the Leaning Tower of Pisa to photograph it in the early morning light. Once again there were very few people around, so we were able to take some great photos without the crowds. And then we made it back to Pisa in time for Brad to do his scheduled climb of the Tower. I sent Brad up to the top with the camera while I relaxed with a coffee and just admired the view from the ground. I have found some of the climbs a bit claustrophobic and didn’t want to face the climb today.

Brad loved the climb but did say it was a bit disconcerting at times as the steps sloped one way and the building another. And he mentioned the wear on the stone steps after years and years of people climbing the steps. He did take some great photos for me to admire.

The Torre pendente di Pisa, Leaning Tower of Pisa, is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt. The tower is situated behind the Pisa Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in the city's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), after the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.

The tower's tilt began during construction in the 12th century, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed in the 14th century. It gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The height of the tower is 55.86 metres from the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres on the high side. The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees.

This is one monument that Brad just absolutely loves and it makes him smile every time we’ve seen it. I’m just glad we managed to get back in time for Brad to do the climb.Read more