The Leaning Tower of Pisa...It Really Leans That Much

Pisa is really only known for one thing nowadays, and that is the infamous "Leaning Tower of Pisa". 

It really is worth the visit because there is more to Pisa than just the "Leaning Tower".  If you are in the area and have an afternoon, I suggest visiting this Tuscan town.  We flew in and out of Pisa on our trip and in order to avoid stress we spent one night in Pisa before our flight back to Dallas.  I was happy that we were able to see the city, because it gave us a little more insight into Tuscany.

When we arrived in Pisa we immediately checked into our hotel which was steps to the Tower and the Baptistry.  After settling in, we ate lunch and a cute little place called La Buca that gave us a great view of the tower. 

See the tower?  Pretty cool, huh.  After lunch we visited the "Field of Miracles" or the big lawn with a big church and the famous "Leaning Tower".  It was actually really pretty, with multiple Renaissance style buildings similar to the famous Duomo in Florence.  It was also filled with people taking this type of picture. 

If you like to people watch, which Travis and I do, take some time and sit on the lawn and watch people take this picture.  It is hilarious.  The really funny part is that most of the people taking the picture spend tons of time adjusting the subject for the shot and they forget that they can move their camera much easier than the poser.  So, in all languages you hear the picture taker directing the subject to move "just a little to the left" and "down, down, down" and "over juuuust a bit".  Also, there are apparently multiple ways to take this picture.  There is the classic "holding up the tower" pose as seen above.  There is also the couple pose, where both people hold it up.  There is also the couple pose where one person pushes and the other holds it up.  The list goes on and on and it is really funny watching people adjust themselves into various poses.  Quite entertaining. 

After the 'tower' picture, we took a walk around the "Field of Miracles".  The church is beautiful on the inside and is worth a visit. 

It does cost, but for just the Church it is only a few euros.  You can pay to see every building but it is not really worth it.  You can also visit the top of the tower for 15 Euros.  I did NOT want to visit the top because it leans and is made of marble, which means that you could slip easily and fall to your death.  (I have a wild imagination and exaggerate, but it could happen).

A few fun facts about the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" courtesy of my favorite tour guide, Rick Steves.  The Tower was built by three different architects and was not finished for over two centuries.  When the first guy built it, they got about two levels up and everyone realized it was leaning.  So, they stopped construction for awhile.  Then, the next guy tried to fix it by building it towards the other direction.  It was still leaning.  Then, the third guy tried to fix it again with the belfry on top and that didn't work either.  In the 1800's, people tried to fix the lean by digging a hole on the opposite end.  This made it sink even more and it almost toppled to the ground.  Finally in the 1990's, they devised a plan to help it stay up.  It currently leans at a five degree angle and is being held up by a concrete and steel structure built underneath the structure.  Every single column has been replaced over the years.  It is kind of weird that Pisa has spent so much money on it but, it brings in almost all of the tourism to the city, so ultimately it is worth it. 

After visiting the "Field of Miracles" we took a walk through the city, which led us to a street market near the University.  This was great because it gave us some insight into how real people live and took us away from the cheesy tourism stuff. 

Explore and enjoy the city!  It is not very big, so it is hard to get lost and you can always find gelato nearby, which is a must. 

The Details: 
Where to Stay:  Hotel Francesco ($120/night)
How Long to Stay:  1 day/afternoon
How to Get There:  Take the train from Florence (It is about an hour)