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  • UNESCO

History’s biggest scam?

June 2, 2019 | Michael Turtle | 11 Comments

WORLD HERITAGE SITE

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Perhaps it’s all a marketing scam, this leaning tower thing. Perhaps it was meant to be built like that!

There’s a school of thought that says the slant of the tower in Pisa was no accident. These ‘experts’ claim it may have been because of Pisa’s rivalry with Florence at the time that the city wanted something to distinguish itself.

What better way to make your city renowned through all the lands than with an iconic building that has no equal in the world? Well, maybe, but…

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

It’s not a commonly-believed theory. For years scientists and engineers have studied the building, trying to work out how it happened, how to fix it and how to stop it unexpectedly falling on top of a bunch of tourists one day!

It’s fascinating to discover that the architecture of almost a thousands years ago still baffles experts of today.

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

Why does Pisa Tower lean?

Assuming the design was not intentional, the most popular theory about the tower’s lean is simply that the soil it was built on wasn’t strong enough to support the weight – basically it had too much sand and silt in it from the flooding of a nearby river estuary.

On the south side of the tower, the soil is slightly more compressible, which is why the foundations of the building sank in that direction.

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

What many people don’t realise is that it took about 200 years to complete the whole building – partly because of the challenges of the construction and partly because a couple of pesky wars distracted everybody.

As the lower part started to shift early on, the subsequent levels were built at a different tilt to try to compensate. As it turns out, these alterations only made things worse, but at least the builders were able to finish the job.

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

Climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Climbing up those stairs to the top is certainly a strange experience. You tilt with the tower, taking on a lean that feels unnatural, even though you’re in alignment with the walls close on either side of you.

The staircase to the top is circular, leading around the inside wall (the middle of the tower is hollow).

If your body’s internal senses can’t tell you which way you are leaning as you spiral up the building, the grooves in the stairs will help. They are each worn out in a different place, as thousands of people over the years have stepped on the spots that seemed most natural.

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

There’s a limit to the number of people who can climb at any one moment and you need to buy a ticket for an allotted time. Still, millions of people every year make the ascent up the narrow passageway to experience it for themselves – and see the fantastic view from the top.

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

Will they ever stop Pisa’s tower leaning?

Although there have been efforts to ‘right’ the tower, that would kind of ruin the fun, wouldn’t it?

The emphasis these days seems to be more on strengthening it so it doesn’t get any worse – the main way they’re doing that is by placing weights on one side of the foundation to offset the tilt.

That wasn’t the view of Mussolini, though, who thought the ‘lean’ was more of a ‘droop’ and reflected badly on Italy’s esteem. He ordered his best engineers to fix it. Unsuccessfully, as we all know.

Why does Pisa Tower lean? Why is it the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Italy

Obviously it’s the lean that makes the tower so famous but even without that it would be considered an architectural marvel.

There probably wouldn’t be quite as many people visiting every year if it was straight but at least it would cut down on the number of stupid photos of people holding it up!

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more info click here. You can see all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve visited here.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Katrina |

    May 28, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    Reply

    Hahaha! I love that the picture you took from the top is askew.

    Just in case you haven’t seen it, here’s a video that’s been making the rounds of some, ah, culture jamming in the Pisa neighborhood: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/pranksters-high-five-tourists-tower-pisa-italy_n_1515385.html 😉

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 30, 2012 at 5:28 am

      Reply

      I can’t remember now if I intentionally made that photo askew or if it just happened naturally. Either way, I got a bit dizzy at the top – it’s a long way up!
      And that culture jamming video is great. It would have to be tempting to do something like that!

  2. A Montrealer Abroad |

    May 29, 2012 at 2:06 am

    Reply

    I think getting rid of the stupid poses would be a good enough reason to right the tower.

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 30, 2012 at 5:28 am

      Reply

      They all just look so daft!!

  3. Rachel |

    May 29, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    Reply

    I got really dizzy when I climbed it… lovely pictures!

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 30, 2012 at 5:29 am

      Reply

      It’s actually much higher up than you expect it to be. I think because the Duomo is so large, it always makes the tower look quite small in pictures.

  4. Alexandra |

    June 6, 2012 at 3:59 am

    Reply

    Love your UNESCO posts!

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 6, 2012 at 11:05 pm

      Reply

      Thanks. Some of them have been fascinating. Make sure you stick around for the next 900 or so… 🙂

  5. Samah Patel |

    September 29, 2013 at 12:16 am

    Reply

    Cool

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 4, 2013 at 9:50 pm

      Reply

      Thanks!

  6. http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Cufflinks-Movie-Theme/dp/B00MSA31N8 |

    September 27, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Reply

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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