With little practical purpose besides housing bells and showing off to their fierce rivals in Florence, it is ironic that Pisa's famous tower leans. Having started leaning at only 3 storeys high, the tower has drawn much debate as to its reluctance to stand to attention. Cries that the architect had one leg shorter than the other fell on deaf ears. There are 8 segments, comprised of the base, six arcades and a belfry. The arches have rhomboid decorations underneath, inlaid with coloured marbles, each containing a rosette in relief at the centre. At the sides of the portal there are friezes with decorations showing animals and imaginary beasts. The belfry is accessed via a narrow spiral staircase, and in turn allows access to the summit of the tower by way of a stair cut into the wall.

Written by  George Monkhouse.

Comments, reviews and questions

Photo of sarah Abbott

who is the discovery of the leaning tower of pisa

who made the leaning tower of pisa

 
Question posted 11th May 2009 by sarah Abbott.

3 replies...

Photo of editor

From the average job done of laying the foundations in 1173 to completion of the bell chamber on top took almost 200 years, so the tower wasn't built by one person or group but by many - the people of Pisa kept being interrupted by wars.

 
Reply posted 12th May 2009 by editor.
Photo of jonti

apparently galileo used to drop stones from the top and time their descent to the ground, to test his theory of gravity.

 
Reply posted 12th May 2009 by jonti.
Photo of lolcat

COME TO LOLCATS.COM!

 
Reply posted 15th May 2009 by lolcat.

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