Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre pendente di Pisa)
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is among the most famous and popular sights in Italy. More than that, it is one of the most recognizable symbols of the country, its calling card. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in the city of Pisa, in the Tuscany region, which spreads only 10 kilometers from the warm and gentle Ligurian Sea. The tower is a bell tower and is part of the architectural ensemble of the local cathedral in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Santa Maria Assunta (Duomo Santa Maria Assunta).
Video: Leaning Tower of Pisa
” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen> Contents- Highlights
- History of the erection of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Architectural features - The tower’s bell tower
- Restoration work
- Myths, interesting facts
- How to get there, mode of operation
Highlights
History of the erection of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
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The first stage of the construction of the Tower of Pisa was led by Guglielmo Innsbruck and Bonnano Pisano. On August 9, 1173, work began. At first the date was different – 1174 – until researchers realized and corrected it: the republic had its own calendar, which was a year ahead of the generally accepted one.
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Great progress was made when Giovanni di Simone became involved in the construction. At the end of 1264 in the mountains near Pisa, the stone for the tower began to be quarried. The construction material was processed by the master Raynaldo Spechale.
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In 1284, the Republic of Pisa suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Island of Meloria for supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. A period of decline began and construction was once again suspended.
Architectural features
The appearance of the grandiose structure has features of Romanesque, Byzantine and Arabic cultures. To some scholars, the Leaning Tower of Pisa resembles a mosque or a minaret. It is noteworthy that the bell tower is located at a distance from the cathedral, which is not typical for Christian churches. This circumstance prompted an assumption that there may have been some influence of the Muslim architectural tradition. Or vice versa: the idea of a free-standing bell tower first appeared in Christian church architecture, and the younger Islam later adopted it. Many scholars and religious scholars are still arguing about it, and have not come to a common denominator.
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Above the sixth tier of arcades is the belfry. The belfry is less deviated from the central axis and stands flat. This gives the appearance of the building a banana shape. At the entrance to the Leaning Tower of Pisa one can see marvelous bas-reliefs. At the top, in the space between the arches, there is a sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Gardi. The inner cylinder of the tower is made of brick. The space between the walls is hollow. It is viewed from the tower through observation windows. The building has three spiral staircases.
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The bell tower
The bell tower is widely considered the finest in Italy, and it did not appear on the Leaning Tower of Pisa until the second half of the fourteenth century. Each of the seven bells is tuned to a different note and has its own history. The first, the oldest, is called Pasquarreccia (Pasquarreccia), made in the middle of the XIII century. It is tuned to G-flat. The Tertz bell is responsible for the note B-sharp, and appeared in the belfry in 1473. Vespruccio’s bell was cast in 1501 (note E). Vincenzo Posenti made the Crocifisso bell (C-sharp), which was melted down by the master Gualandi da Prato in 1818.
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During World War II, the bell of Dal Pozzo was destroyed. After restoration, it was placed in a museum. On the belfry since 2004 there is an exact replica of it. The largest bell, the Assunta (the name translates as “ascension”), is tuned to the note B. It weighs 3.5 tons and was made by Giovanni Pietro Orlandi. The bell was melted down in 1735.
.Pisans and visitors to the city can enjoy the church chime at exactly noon. It is impossible to describe its beauty and melody – you should hear it yourself!
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Restoration work
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is over 650 years old when counted from the time of its completion, making it one of the oldest buildings not only in the city itself, but in the country as a whole. Without restoration work, the Leaning Tower of Pisa could hardly be preserved, and this is the opinion of almost all architects and historians. Measures to maintain the object in pristine condition were carried out in different eras and, accordingly, differed in complexity: from replacing crumbling columns on the outside of the building to the melting of bells. And to prevent the Leaning Tower of Pisa from collapsing, to preserve it, were made truly titanic efforts. In 1934, liquid cement was injected into the foundations.
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The authorities of Pisa even announced a competition for the best way to “level” the building. There were many suggestions. Some were quite original. For example, to put a monument to the “hapless” architect Bonnano Pisano to prop up his brainchild. Or erect a symmetrical tower next to it, but with the opposite slope. But jokes are jokes, but they approached the work with all seriousness, having built an experimental model nearby.
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Myths, interesting facts
But the contribution to the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa by Donna Berta di Bernardo has been proven. The woman bequeathed 60 soldos for its erection. This money was spent on the purchase of stones that are still at the base of the belfry today. Thus, the woman immortalized her name for posterity. She also sowed doubts about the real persons involved in the construction: in her message she mentioned a certain master Gerardo. It is also known that the builder Diotisalvi was working in Pisa at that time, whose participation in the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa seems more likely. However, he usually signed his works, and if he was not left out of such a grandiose construction, why is his autograph missing on the bell tower?
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In the American city of Niles, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), there is a twin of the Pisa miracle – a water tower that exactly repeats the original, including the slope. However, it is half the size of the original. And here in the documentary “Life After People”, also American, tells about the destruction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which, according to the authors’ forecasts, will happen only in 250 years.
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But back to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Our “evasive” heroine has made its way into animated movies as well. It is mentioned in the popular Japanese animated series “The Round-the-World Journey of the Cat in Boots”, filmed back in 1969 by director Katsumata Tomohara. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is also not absent from such modern US-made cartoons as Phineas and Ferb (2007) and The Adventures of Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014), where it is also mentioned.
.How to get there, opening hours
The city can be reached from Genoa by train in two hours. The fare is around 20 euros. From Florence, an electric train leaves every half hour. The ticket costs about 8 euros, and it takes an hour to reach Pisa.
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Longer drive from Rome: by train the journey will take about three hours, the ticket will cost about 23 euros. The high-speed train will arrive an hour earlier, but the ticket costs 14 euros more. If you plan to stay in the city, a night in a hotel will cost 60-100 euros.
.From Pisa train station, you can reach the architectural complex on foot. The walk will take about half an hour. By public transportation you can get to the Leaning Tower of Pisa much faster, you should get off at the stop Piza Rossore.
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Near the Leaning Tower of Pisa there are always a lot of tourists who make bright, memorable, sometimes funny photos against the background of the famous landmark. Someone “supports” the building, someone tries to climb it. The unique architectural structure gives a huge scope for imagination.
.The Leaning Tower of Pisa is open to visitors in summer time (April-September) – from 8:30 to 20:30, in winter time (October-March) – from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
.Night visits are organized from June 14 to September 15. You can admire the picturesque views of the city during sunset, and admire the lights of Pisa at night.
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