Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The 1990s remediation project that reduced the Pisa tower’s tilt from 5.5 to 4 degrees was accomplished by removing about 70 tonnes of earth from the north side using an auger drill, essentially pulling the tower back toward vertical by removing the soil it was leaning toward. The intervention was carefully calibrated to stabilise the structure without eliminating the lean, since a perfectly vertical tower would be, as the project engineers acknowledged, “of no interest to anyone.” This is one of the more pragmatically honest statements in architectural conservation history.

The tower leans because the soil on one side is softer than the other. Construction started in 1173, the lean began almost immediately, and work continued intermittently for nearly 200 years. Remediation efforts in the 1990s reduced the tilt from nearly 5.5 degrees to around 4 degrees, enough to stabilise it structurally while preserving the characteristic lean that draws visitors in the first place.

The Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) contains the tower alongside the Cathedral (Duomo), the Baptistery, and the Camposanto Monumentale. All four are white marble, grouped on a flat green lawn that reads as an intentional composition, which it largely is, the ensemble was built over several centuries but developed a coherent character.

The Tower

Tower entry tickets cost €18 and must be booked online at opapisa.it; same-day tickets are often sold out in summer. The climb is 294 steps up a hollow cylinder with no elevator. The staircase spirals around the outer wall, so you’re moving at an angle throughout, vertiginous going up, worse coming down. The views from the top cover the city and the surrounding Tuscan plain.

Children under 8 are not admitted. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.

The Rest of the Piazza

The Duomo requires a ticket (€5) and is worth it, the pulpit by Giovanni Pisano inside is considered one of the finest examples of medieval Italian sculpture. The Baptistery exterior is Romanesque; the interior acoustics are extraordinary and demonstrators regularly show off the resonance. Camposanto Monumentale, the monumental cemetery, holds damaged 14th-century frescoes including the Triumph of Death; entry around €5.

A combined ticket covering all four monuments is available and works out significantly cheaper than individual entry.

Pisa Beyond the Piazza

Most visitors spend two hours at the piazza and leave. Staying longer is worthwhile. The Borgo Stretto and the streets around the university are the city’s actual centre, markets, local cafés, students. The Arno riverbanks around Lungarno Mediceo have a quieter, working-city character. Santa Maria della Spina, a small Gothic church built on the riverbank, is worth finding.

For food, avoid the tourist restaurants immediately around the piazza. The university area, 15 minutes’ walk southeast, has trattorias at prices that reflect a student clientele.

Getting There

Direct trains from Florence run approximately every 30 minutes and take around an hour; tickets cost €8-10. The piazza is a 20-minute walk from Pisa Centrale station or a short taxi. Pisa also has an international airport (PSA) with budget airline connections, useful if Pisa is your Tuscan entry point.