Pisa - It's Jaw Dropping...

• July 2, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by Gunjan Katia from Faridabad, India

Pisa is one of the most beautiful and breathtaking places of ever been... its really really authentic. The entire city of PISA is worth exploring. The road side cafe's the lanes, buildings all speak out the rich culture and heritage of Italy. The best way to visit Pisa is to stay overnight in Florence. @days and one night in Florence is a must. Over day u can spend at Florence and another complete day at PISA. Start early from Florence, Pisa is around an 1hr train journey. Every 30 min there is a train from Florence to Pisa and vice versa. Spent at 1 hour in Pisa just clicking pictures of the tower. The raod side shoping near the leaning tower is also great. U get amazing Bags, cure snoopy T's and soveneirs. Do go up the tower, ot may take time, but im sure its worth it. We cunt go on top due to lack of time.... Pisa Rocks...

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Leaning Tower of Pisa - Torre Pendente di Pisa

• August 7, 2007
• Rated 5 of 5 by paigey121 from Los Altos, California

We stopped in Pisa on our way to Lucca. We dropped out bags at the train station and walked over to the Field of Miracles. Everything there leans a little. It was a great stop through for a few hours.

We arrived around noon and immediately set out to the yellow building on the other side of the tower to buy tickets to climb the tower. They had flat screens telling what times were available and how many spaces were left, since only 25 or so can climb every 15-30 minutes. It was super easy to get a ticket. Although it was 15 euros, it was well worth it. We walked around the other sights, but we had had our fill of duomo's at this point in our trip and did not venture inside.

We had about and hour and a half to wait, so we had lunch down the street. Then we had to return to the ticket area and lock up our purses. They only let you take a camera basically.

The climb was pretty quick and circular. The view from the top was fantastic. We looked out onto the somewhat large city of Pisa and thought of how ancient the tower was. The guard let us have 10-15 minutes at the almost top, then again at the top. Then they hustled us back down again. It was plenty of time.

Apparently, the tower started to lean almost immediately upon construction. So the history behind it was interesting on how they waited, then built, then waited, then built again.

When I got back, my friends were surprised they let people climb it. It was being made more stable for years (it kind of worked). When we were at the top, we jumped up and down hoping to make it lean more.

Overall a worth while stopover to break up a train trip.

From journal Italy: Rome to Venice and In-between in 15 Days

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The Tower of Pisa

• February 24, 2006
• Rated 3 of 5 by Dutchnatasja from Etten-Leur, Netherlands

The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the Cathedral. Its construction began in August of 1173, and continued (with two long interruptions) for about 200 years, in full fidelity to the original project, whose architect is still uncertain.

The tower in Pisa, Italy, is famous simply because it leans. It was closed to the public in 1990, after fears that an entire busload of tourists at the top would be enough to make it fall. Eleven years later, the lean has been corrected a little, but not entirely.

Although the tower is famous because it leans, it is an outstanding example of Romanesque architecture, and would probably be famous even if it didn't lean.


Why the lean?

The tower is built on unsuitable ground for such a heavy and tall building. It is only about 6 feet above sea level, and built on a riverbed. The underlying ground is made up of layers of sand and clay. The layers are not even and the weight of the building has compressed them. Because the layers are not even, as the ground has compressed, it has sunk more in some places than others.

The tower was closed during our visit in 1996. The Tower of Pisa reopened December 2001 for visitors.

From journal Pisa

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There's something funny about that tower

• August 29, 2005
• Rated 3 of 5 by Jarde from Oxford, United Kingdom

From journal Flying Stop in Pisa

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Leaning Tower of Pisa

• July 23, 2005
• Rated 3 of 5 by leopardgrrrl88 from Kent, Ohio

Pisa is a quaint town with a pleasant atmosphere. The first thing you notice, is, of course, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the sight that made the town famous. The tower is striking, though not nearly as tall as I had imagined it to be. However, its architecture is fairly simple, yet tastefully done. Seeing that bright white tower against the brilliant blue sky is a fantastic thing to see. The tower really does lean a considerable amount, but do not fall for the trap this creates. People actually stand near the entrance to the tower and try to sell you insurance in case the tower collapses while you are inside. This seems like it would be an obvious scam, but many tourists fall for it, making nice entertainment for the rest of us.

From journal Pizza Pisa

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