LEANING TOWER of PISA
Visitor Pack
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La Torre di Pisa - Tour Guide "... Seven sections of an upward spiral flow into seven rings that can be scanned by a progressive, round-angle line of vision; that is how a unique and overwhelmingly original phenomenon of the history of architecture occurs; a visual device consisting of a fixed and single upward route which offers users the opportunity to open up seven, not overlooks, but exceptional gyroscopic views in levels rising up to 50 metres ..." C.L. Ragghianti "... Our light palpitations will grow for the puzzling fatigue that the stairsforce on us andfor the precipice opening up deeper and deeper at our feet, with no shelter at allfor any of the slanting storeys. And as we start moving up againfrom one storey to the next within the spiral staircase that now urges us to be quick, now, steep and wearying, almost stops us and makes us lose sight of that glimmer of the sky from the door we are not completely sure i/that step giving way under our feet or that raising against us are not actually due to the whole building suddenly giving way, ...once at the top and after enjoying the view, we turn and move out to the soft and safe lawn, heaving a secret sigh of relief even if looking back with a hint of longing... " P. Sanpaolesi |
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 The height of the building from the foundations to the belfry isabout 60 meters The Tower weighs c. 14.500 tonnesThe Tower is shaped like a hollow cylinder formed by twoconcentric walls (in marble blocks) which contain mortar and other matter A spiral stair within the cylindrical body allows access to thearcaded storeys and to the summit of the Tower The inclination is c. 5.5° towards the south; this means that theseventh cornice protrudes about 4.5 m over the first cornice The staircase consists of approximately 300 steps
The Tower was constructed in the course of about 200 yearsWork on the foundation began on 9 August 1173The third order had only just been completed when in about 1178 the building works were suspended Around 1272 the construction was recommenced, only to beinterupted again, at the level of the 7th cornice. in c. 1278 The construction of the belfry (8th order) began around 1360 andwas completed c. 10 years later The Tower has subsided vertically by about 2.8 m as a resultof the unstable nature of the underlyng ground. The basin at the base was constructed in 1838 to bring to light the bases of the columns which had sunk underground |
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1.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1063 on the area of an old church, the remains of which are still below the lawn, and was completed around the middle of the twelfth century. The floor is
in the shape of a Latin cross while the dome is elliptic. The latter was crowned by small Gothic arches in the fourteenth century. The cathedral has undergone several changes over the centuries
but these have not altered the original architectural style of the building. 2. This is a round building with a truncated cone-shaped dome surmounted by a statue of John the Baptist. Construction began in 1152 led by the architect Diotisalvi and continued up to the second half of the thirteenth century under the guidance of Nicola Pisano. His son, John, directed the exterior decoration work and the dome which was not completed until the second half of the fourteenth century. Worthy of note inside is the pulpit by Nicola Pisano which produces an echo effect in different tones from sounds emitted from the side of the baptismal font. 3. Diotisalvi began the construction of the tower in 1173. Ten years later, work on the third floor was suspended because a slight landslide had caused the building to start leaning. Construction work was renewed in 1275 by Giovanni di Simone, only to be interrupted again in 1284 on the seventh floor due to further leaning. In the second half of the fourteenth century Tommaso Pisano built the belfry which raised the tower to a height of 55.90 m. 4. To the left of the cathedral, bordering the northern side of the square is the cemetery. Clad in white marble and embellished with blind arches on pilasters, the bullding fits in perfectly with the architecture of the other monuments in the square. Giovanni di Simone began the building in 1278 on the grounds of the former cemetery. Many sarcophagi are located inside the arcaded court, mostly from the Roman Ages. Worthy of note too are the tombs. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the walls were decorated with a series of frescoes which are now being restored. 5. The building which houses the museum is composed of two parts joined at right angles by a twelfth century keep enclosing a cloister. The works exhibited come from the monumental buildings in the square and include masterpieces by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano and Tino di Camaino. The most precious exhibit in the museum is the cathedral's treasure. Worthy of note too is the wooden marquetry and the miniature tables. There is a superb view of the square from the upper balcony. 6. The building housing the Museum of the Sinopites was built between 1257 and 1286 by Giovanni di Simone as a hospital and subsequently extended. It mostly accommodates the decoration of the fake ashlar work by the Lucca-born painter Coluccio The "Sinopites" are the preparatory drawings for the large frescoes painted immediately afterwards in the Cemetery directly onto the rough plaster. The name "Sinopites" origlnates from the town of Sinope in Asia where the coloured material used to make the drawings on the walls came from. 7. The medieval walls which circumscribe the town and the buildings in the square were started in 1155 and completed in the north-west with the tower called after Saint Mary. In 1499 during the florentine siege of the city the tower was lowered to the height of the walls and was not raised again until the nineteenth century. This was when the crenelated brickwork was added. The tower, which is connected to the communication trench of the walls offers a unique view of the monuments in the square and the Jewish cemetery. |
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TOURS ALLOWED TO GROUPS OF MAX 30 PEOPLE, WITH A GUIDE GIVING DIRECTIONS ON THE WAY EACH TOUR LASTS THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES; NO EXTENSIONS GRANTED BE PUNCTUAL, SINCE TIME IS LIMITED AND THE TOUR MUST START AT THE TIME SHOWN ON THE ADMISSION TICKET. NO DELAY ALLOWED A tour of the Tower requires a substantial physical effort, which can be individually estimated, considering the spiral staircase consists of approximately 300 steps No children under 8 Children between 8 and 12 must be held by the hand Children under age, between 12 and 18, shall be allowed only if accompanied by adults in charge Leave handbags and/or containers of any kind or shape at the cloakroom near the meetingpoint before going up Use of cameras, movie or video cameras allowed DO NOT STEP OUT ONTO THE OUTER WALKWAYS AROUND EACH LEVEL AT THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH LEVELS (BELFRY), VISITORS CAN GO OUT, BUT CANNOT LEAN OUT OF THE PROTECTIVE BALUSTRADES. DO NOT STAND UNDER THE BELLS OR STRIKE THEM WITH ANYTHING THE ACCESS TO THE BELFRY AND TO THE TOP OF THE LEANING TOWER IS NOT EASY TO GO THROUGH, SINCE IT MAY FORCE VISITORS TO GO THROUGH OPEN PASSAGEWAYS, THE TOUR IS THEREFORE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM DIZZY SPELLS; IN ANY CASE, BE MOST PRUDENT AND ORDERLY  OPERA DELLA PRIMAZIALE PISANA |
Leaning Tower of Pisa Booking InformationThis Page maintained by: Gary Feuerstein
17 December 2002