Hello everyone! Welcome to another instalment in my Italy series! This is about… The Leaning Tower of Pizza! Oops, I meant Pisa 😅 hehe!

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From out hotel in Florence, we walked to the train station and bought a ticket to Pisa. We also had a very yummy breakfast from McDonald’s 😋 We wanted to start early so we could explore more. When we arrived in Pisa, my parents saw a sign that said Luggage Concierge. So we checked it out, and it was great because for €6.00 we could leave our suitcases for the day. We didn’t have to lug them around with us the whole day. My parents planned this trip to Pisa, but of course, we were flexible with our schedule. That’s why we decided to leave our suitcases at the concierge because we may or may not get a hotel in Pisa. We got out at the train station, and my dad had to stop at the money changer to exchange Canadian dollar to euros. It’s always good to have some cash with you when traveling! The person in the stall was a Filipino so my mom asked him for directions in Tagalog. He said, we could walk to it just follow the road! 😁 Well, since we been walking a lot in Rome and Florence, might as well walk to the tower too!

We started walking, and we took some photos along the way. At this point, we had no idea how far the Leaning Tower from the train station. We saw this Bronze Cloak statue made by the Anna Chromy Foundation. I think it looks really cool, and I’m wondering how they did it.

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We kept walking and arrived at the bridge. We were not sure if we were still in the correct direction because the man we asked earlier didn’t mention a bridge. But yes, the Leaning Tower was still straight ahead. The bridge is called, Ponte di Mezzo, where the Battle of the Bridge takes place in the month of June. Click the name to know more about the celebration.

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We finally arrived at Piazza dei Miracoli-or Square of Miracles in English. I searched on the internet, and it was 2.7 km (1.7 miles) from the train station to the Leaning Tower, about twenty-one minutes walk, not bad! We took a lot of pictures, and we bought a ticket to go in the tower. We got 1:00pm time slot, and I was glad the wait time was not too long because it was a very, very hot day. Note: You can’t bring a purse, handbag, or backpack in the tower. There’s a paid locker in the vicinity that you have to rent and pay by cash. Pisa was definitely something that I didn’t know I would ever see. I had already gotten a chance to go to Italy, and I didn’t think I was going to go again and see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa!

HISTORY LESSON TIME: The bell tower, commonly known as The Leaning Tower of Pisa, was built in the 1173, and it took 177 years to build. 😱 That’s a long time! The bell-chamber was added in 1372. The building started to lean because the ground was soft and mushy and the foundation was not good. They stop the construction and resumed it in 1272. The Italians had to stabilize it or else it would collapse. And then from 1990-2001 the tower was closed to stabilize the building. They reduced the lean by 3.97 degrees. Now it’s fixed properly, and we can admire it for centuries to come! Climbing to the top of the tower was like climbing a leaning spiral staircase and if you do it too fast it will make you dizzy! The tower has 296 steps to the top. Quite the adventure!

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The seven bells on the tower are very heavy. They don’t swing anymore because the tower could collapse. They ring because there is a little hammer banging the bell. Do you think the Leaning Tower of Pisa is shaped like a banana?

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The cathedral was built in 1063 by the architect Buscheto, and it was paid for using the leftover money from the war against the Muslims in Sicily in 1063. The cathedral was erected outside Pisa’s early medieval walls, to show that Pisa had no fear of being attacked. It is an example of Pisan-Romanesque architecture made with white-and-grey marble façade that has been decorated with polychrome marble. The façade is grey marble and white stone set with discs of coloured marble, was built by a master named Rainaldo. It is a magnificent cathedral.

In 1092 the cathedral was declared a primatial church, because the archbishop Dagobert having been given the title of Primate by Pope Urban II. The cathedral was consecrated in 1118 by Pope Gelasius II, who belonged to the Caetani family which was powerful both in Pisa and in Rome. In the early 12th century architect Rainaldo made the nave bigger. But people don’t know the exact date of when it was started. It was finished in 1180, and that’s what it states on the bronze knockers on the door.

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The Baptistery was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and it is the largest baptistery in Italy, with a circumference measuring 107.25 m. This round Romanesque building was built in the mid 12th century by an architect known as Diotisalvi. Nicola Pisano and Giovanni Pisano finished the building by adding Gothic style loggia, the top story, and the dome in 14th century.

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The Opera Palace is a complex of houses built in 14th century to 19th century. The houses belonged to the workmen of the cathedral complex: the tailor, the gardener, the bell ringers, etc. Now it is an administration office and a museum. There’s also this angel statue called the Fallen Angel right beside the tower. It was made by Igor Mitoraj.

There’s two more buildings to see in the area, Camposanto Monumentale and Ospedale Nuovo di Santo Spirito. Camposanto Monumentale or Monumental Cemetery. It is a walled cemetery, and it says that it was built on dirt carried back from Calvary, where Jesus died. There’s some Roman sculptures, and sarcophagi, and more artwork to see. The nobles in Pisa were buried underneath the floor. Lastly, there is the Ospedale Nuovo di Santo Spirito or the New Hospital of Holy Spirit was built in 1257 by Giovanni di Simone. The hospital was built to help pilgrims, poor, sick people, and abandoned children by providing a shelter, but it is now a museum.

Okay, enough history! That concludes my trip to Pisa! Oh, and, You have to buy tickets for every building you want to visit. For us we only went to the tower because we’ve seen so many cathedrals and artwork already. It’s really up to you to decide what you really want to see! Stay tuned for more, everyone! Byeee!

Italy Series Posts:

When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do!

Rome Part II

Florence, the Birthplace of Renaissance

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