5 fun facts about the Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most interesting bell towers in the entire world due to its impressive lean.

The 187-foot bell tower is over 800 years old! Despite how old the Leaning Tower of Pisa is, you can actually still climb it.

You can spend between 1-4 days in Pisa seeing the city and its main highlights, including the Leaning Tower.

There are so many interesting facts about the famous Leaning Tower, so we’ve compiled a list of five for you!

1. The tower took almost 200 years to build

The tower was built between 1173 to 1372, taking 199 years to complete. Bonanno Pisano and Gherardo din Gherardo were the architects of the first phase of the Leaning Tower. Then Tommaso Pisano finished the tower. The tower is made of white marble, limestone, and lime mortar.

2. The tower became leaning on accident

Five years into the build, the tower started to lean slightly. Throughout the years the tilt got worse and by 1990 the tilt was 5.5 degrees. The tilting is from poor planning and unstable subsoil.

3. There are seven bells in the tower

The sevens bells were built by Tommaso di Andrea Pisano and each bell would ring a different tone. But the bells haven’t rung since the last century.

Some experts claimed that the bells were a danger to the public in case the tower collapsed.

In 1990, the city said the bells would ring again once the restoration work was done, but they haven’t been heard since.

4. The tower has survived four earthquakes

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has survived four strong earthquakes since 1280 and remained undamaged. It’s believed that the soft soil and the height and stiffness have been the reason the tower survived the earthquakes.

5. The tower is actually becoming straighter

Every year the Leaning Tower of Pisa has a tilt checkup to see if it’s changed. Between 2001 and 2020, the tower straightened by four centimetres.

While that’s the case, there’s no need to rush to see the tower, as it should still stay tilted for another 300 years.

The Leaning Tower can be found in Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli, the Square of Miracles, in which area there are also other historic buildings. The Baptistery, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, the Sinopie Museum, and the Monumental Cemetery are some other historic landmarks you can also see.

If you are staying in Florence, we recommend jumping on this half day Pisa tour!