“It looks like a movie set here. Is this real? Did I stumble onto the set of Carmen Sandiego?” That’s what was going through my mind as I arrived at Miracle Square in Pisa- home of the Leaning Tower.
What you may not realize (I didn’t) is the Leaning Tower is actually the bell tower of the nearby church. It is not connected to the church and in fact the church has 3 separate parts- the baptistry, the church, and the bell tower. The baptistry had to be separate from the church because you had to be baptized to enter the church. I’m not sure why the bell tower was made separate, but I guess it’s a good thing it was since it started leaning shortly after construction began. In fact, many structures in Pisa lean, not just the famous tower. AND, many towers in Italy lean, not just in Pisa. Many have leaned so far they fell over. Apparently Italian soil is not ideal for tower construction.
The tower in Pisa was closed for nearly a decade as engineers designed a way to keep the the tower from falling over. They believe that their design will keep the tower from falling over for 300 years. What will happen then? Close it and redesign it or let nature do what it will?
I wanted to go see the tower while I was over here, but I was given the unexpected opportunity to go up in the tower! It was amazing. It was a bit freaky and fun house-ish as you climb the spiral stairs and lean towards the outside wall, then the inside wall, forward, then back. It’s kind of like when the ship rocks except I was on land.
The 284 marble stairs are warped in the middle of each step. Presumably from thousands of tourists trekking them each year. This made the climb even more dangerous as you were leaning side to side in a narrow hallway on uneven surfaces.
Once getting to the top, there are two levels with panoramic views of the city. The passageway between the levels narrows even further. I guess they suppose if you are fit enough to climb those stairs you must be fit enough to squeeze through the final passage.
The views were amazing! The view of Miracle Square alone was beautiful, but you could also see all of Pisa and all the way to the mountains and the sea. I thought I loved Tuscany before, but I enjoyed it even more from up there. Lush, green pastures and hills. Red roofs. Ancient churches. Ample sunshine.
To top this great day off, I bought a slice of pizza. The pizza was actually quite terrible- the worst I have had in Italy- but not everyone can say they have had Pizza in Pisa!
