The Leaning Tower of Pisa. Or, more commonly known as the Leaning Tower of Pizza to the eight and under crowd. The adjacent cathedral and baptistery were built in in the 12th century with the spoils of war with Arab peoples.
On her deathbed in the 12th century, a wealthy old Pisan woman left all her money to the town, on the condition they used it to build a bell tower. Since, duh, every cathedral must have a bell tower.
So, Pisa built a bell tower.
Out of the gate, the tower was not plumb. Construction stopped after ten years because the engineers couldn't get it straight, and building resumed over the next hundred years until it was completed.
Ahem. Still not vertical.
Sadly, children under eight are not allowed to climb the tower, so the parents took turns climbing to the top while the kids waved from the bottom.
Hello down there.
Looks fake, huh? Nope, just a fun angle to capture the lean . . .
As you can see, from this view from the tower, the cathedral, the baptistery, and cloisters are a tremendous architectural complex. The Romanesque cathedral is a masterpiece, and has the characteristic marble facade seen it Tuscan church architecture.
The cathedral:
Dorks! Audio-guide.
The baptistery:
The cloisters:
Quick! Pretend to be be your favorite saint-statue sculpted into a tomb!
Lunch. Finally!
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