Travel bucket list idea:
Pisa, Tuscany, Italy
Credit Shutterstock.com/Virrage Images
One of Italy’s most popular sights, this astonishingly beautiful belltower dates back to 1173. An architectural marvel at the time, the tower was doomed from the outset, having been built on unstable sand and clay.
It began to lean once the third storey was completed; work was suspended for a hundred years, with the tower only being completed in the late 14th century. It housed seven bells, one for each musical note, and eventually reached a height of just over 58m.
In 1993, at 15 feet off the vertical, the tower seemed so close to collapse that an expensive rescue bid was made involving vast counterweights, steel cables and lots of digging. It worked to a degree; the building is once again safe and open to the public (but with enough lean to keep the hordes coming).
The still-famously titling tower still attracts millions of visitors a year, for the unnerving climb up its 293 steps.
The tower is a 30-minute walk from Pisa Centrale train station. It is much closer to San Rossore station where some local trains stop. Bus 4 runs from the train station.
There are ticket offices at the entrance to the Piazza dei Miracoli. Tickets can also be purchased online up to 20 days in advance. There are various packages starting with an accumulative ticket that includes entrance to the Leaning Tower (for which a specific visit time must be booked) and the other monuments in the Field of Miracles. It’s also possible to buy tickets for the Tower alone.
Audio guides are available in five languages (fee).
The visit takes around 30 minutes. The 251 accessible steps are steep and the stairwell is quite narrow; it’s not advisable for anyone suffering from claustrophobia or with heart problems. Wear good solid shoes and take a bottle of water.
The Leaning Tower is open daily, all year round. Tickets must be pre-booked for a specific time slot; this can be done on the day at the ticket kiosk, but queues can be very long, especially in high season, and availability is limited.
Instead, book in advance online, when you can choose a time slot to suit and skip the queue. Go first thing in the morning to avoid the worst of the crowds; tour groups rarely arrive before ten.
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