The ‘lean’ factor looks quite concerning when you stand in front of the tower. 'It probably won’t feel like much of an angle inside,' I thought.
I was wrong!
Construction of the
Tower of Pisa started in the 1100s and was soon made difficult on reaching the
second level, when the foundations began to sink. However, construction
continued and the tower became a seven-storey tower leaning at an angle of 5.5
degrees. Reinforcement work in the early 1990s reduced the angle to 4 to 5
degrees, but the top level is still almost 4 metres to one side of centre.
Climbing the
tower is possible via a staircase that winds clockwise just inside the outer
wall of the tower.
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| Tower of Pisa, Italy |
Climbing the Tower of Pisa
A five degree
angle might not sound like much but you certainly notice it as you climb and
descend the very narrow, and quite dark, spiral staircase of the Tower of Pisa.
The stone steps are worn smooth, as you would expect in such an old building.
As you climb though you notice they are worn in a heavier dip on one side as
gravity pushes you downwards. So, even if you thought you could resist those
five degrees, resistance is futile!
There are frequent windows along the staircase, which allow light in and also offer glimpses across the rooftops of Pisa and the crowds below.
There are frequent windows along the staircase, which allow light in and also offer glimpses across the rooftops of Pisa and the crowds below.
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| View over Pisa, Italy |
At the top
When you reach
the top of the tower the whole of Pisa lies at your feet and you can see for
miles in every direction. There is also a thick glass pane across the roof of
the tower so it is possible to peer down the hollow central space in the tower.
If you don’t fancy that you can admire four of the seven massive bells hanging
at the north, east, south and west points of the tower.
The tower is the
freestanding bell tower of Pisa Cathedral next door so if you happen to be atop
the tower when the bells ring prepare to be deafened! They are super loud and
wherever you stand you’ll be within two or three metres of them at most!
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| Bells at the top of the Tower of Pisa, Italy |
Descending
While parts of
the climb are a challenging combination of squeezing past other people, going
uphill and gravity pushing you sideways, the descent offers a weird sensation
of flying sideways – just mind you don’t hit your head on the low ceiling.
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| View from inside the Tower of Pisa, looking up |
The legend
When visiting
tourist sites with locals I always hope to learn something more than tourists
are regularly presented with, and the Tower of Pisa didn’t disappoint. Pisa has
a large student population and rumour has it that students that climb the tower
will never complete their studies. As a result my local friend, and several of
his friends, confessed they had never climbed the tower.
Who knew?!
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