Pisa

...to Pisa. We didn't spend much time in Pisa, just enough to check out the Leaning Tower. I had thought the tower was just another tower in the city, or perhaps I hadn't paid attention. The tower is part of a pretty plaza, Piazza del Duomo, which consists of the Duomo (church), the Bapistry and the campanile - the famous Leaning Tower.



Here you can see the tower and the Duomo on the left. Construction of the campanile was begun in 1174 as a bell tower for the Duomo and began to lean after the completion of the 3rd story; it was at this time that builders discovered the ground under the site was clay. The tower leans 14 feet from perpendicular and is kept "stable" with lead counterweights placed at the bottom.

Il Duomo was designed in 1063 and completed in 1310, but was heavily damaged by fire in 1595. Many of Galileo's tools used during his experiments are housed here in the museum.

We had to stand here for 15 minutes holding up the tower before some other idiot tourists came along to take our place.