Leaning Tower of

Pisa

What is it?

• It is a free standing bell tower of the cathedral in the Italian City of Pisa, Piazza dei miracoli

• It is a tower tilted at an angle of 4 degrees

Facts

• It is a belltower with 7 bells, one of each note of the musical major scale.

• It is about 58 meters• 8-storey building• Weighs about 14.453

tonnes

Construction of the first floor began in 8 August

1173 during military success and prosperity

Tower began to sink after construction progressed to the

third floor in 1178 due to unstable soil

Construction halted for a century because Republic of Pisa was

engaged in battles

Clocks were temporarily installed in 1198

In 1272, construction resumed

To compensate for the tilt, engineers built upper floor with

one side being taller . Hence, tower is curved

Construction halted again due

to Battle of Meloria

The 7th floor was completed in 1319

After a phase of structure strengthening, the

building is undergoing surfacerestoration

History

Weather

Touring the tower

• Visitors are permitted in the tower only with a guide in tour groups with a maximum size of 40.

• The tour is about 30 minutes and leaves regularly every half an hour.

• Guests are not allowed to stay in the Tower after their tour, and bags are not permitted.

• Children under age 8 are not allowed to tour the tower, minors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Touring the tower

• Access to most of the balconies is not permitted.

• Visitors may exit the tower at the seventh and eighth floors at the level of the bells

• Visitor are not permitted to lean on the railings for safety reasons.

• Reaching the level of the bells consists of walking up approximately 300 stairs.

Tickets and Hours

• Tickets must be purchased at least 15 days in advance before the time of your tour, either online or at the site.

• Tickets include admission to the Leaning Tower of Pisa as well as the the exhibits located around the Opera del Duomo Museum and Museum of Sinopites, including multimedia displays.

• Tickets are good for their printed admission time only.

• Lateness will result in your ticket being invalidated.

• Hours vary according to season. Winter hours generally are from 9 or 10 a.m. to approximately 5 p.m. Summer hours are longer, with the tower opening as early as 8:30 a.m. and closing as late as 11 p.m. during July and August.

• Hours are subject to change without advance notice for maintenance or weather.

Tickets and Hours

Pictures within the tower

Entrance door to bell tower Leaning tower loggiati

Pictures within the tower

Leaning tower staircaseOne of the Tower bell

Pictures within the tower

References

• http://www.theblamed.com/photos/europe_36.html• http://www.waligorski.com/Italy3.html• http://www.google.com.sg/imglanding?

q=leaning+tower+of+pisa&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=MSikJ8J9XB0KbM:&imgrefurl=http://miriadna.com/preview/440&imgurl=http://miriadna.com/desctopwalls/images/max/Duomo%252520and%252520Leaning%252520Tower%252520in%252520Pisa%252520%28Italy%29.jpg&zoom=1&w=1600&h=1200&ei=YEjrTLqBA4zQcZK2yPgO&biw=1280&bih=563

• http://photos.demandstudios.com/227/31/fotolia_4298246_XS.jpg

References

• http://www.pisa.world-guides.com/• http://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa• http://

traveltips.usatoday.com/leaning-tower-pisa-3401.html