Yes, its the leaning tower of Pisa, a classic sight in Italy, almost a cliche. But you have to go there - just to say that you've been, if nothing else. Getting access to the tower is a drama in itself. Parking is so far away that you need to take a local shuttle to get to the site, and then negotiate a large contingent of street hawkers trying hard to sell you sunglasses, umbrellas, souvenirs etc (genuine items of course.)
And going up the tower requires a pre booking as only a set number (about 50) can be in there at any one time.
The leaning tower is actually the bell tower for the adjacent church and baptistry, all located in the immaculately kept 'field of miracles', the commonly used name for the site as a whole. We visited the sites with a local guide, Roberta, and were very well informed about the history and the architectural style - 'Pisa Romanesque'.
The story of the tower is quite interesting. It is built on soft ground, hence the problem, which has also affected the other buildings nearby, but not in such spectacular fashion. The tower was started in the 12th century but after 3 tiers were completed the lean was already so pronounced that construction stopped for a century while everyone was preoccupied with other matters (wars). The original architect of the tower is unknown - no doubt he was at pains to keep a low profile at the time!
In the 13th century the next 4 tiers were added with the columns on the leaning side made a bit longer in order straighten up the tower. Hence the slight banana shape. This wasn't a complete success, and construction stopped again for another century.
Finally the belfry was added in the 14th century and the tower was complete after 348 years, although it was still moving with its lean increasing at about 1mm per year.
At its leaningest point the tower was 5.5 degrees off vertical with the offset at the top being over 4m horizontally. There have been several attempts in modern times to stop the lean increasing and make the tower safe for the future. The first few failed, showing that the problem was a tough one even for modern engineering. But it is now stable and has even been straightened up slightly. The engineers say it's safe so we can all be confident. (Did you hear about the highway bridge that collapsed in the US?)
Anyway most of us ascended the spiral staircase to the top and noted the odd sensation you get from the lean as you spiral around. The views are excellent!
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