Torre di Pisa

Tower Pisa, Italy

The Tower of Pisa (popularly leaning tower and, in Pisa, the Tower) is the bell tower of the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in the famous Piazza del Duomo of which it is the most famous monument due to the characteristic slope, symbol of the city and among the iconic symbols of Italy. It is a free-standing bell tower 57 meters high (58.36 meters considering the foundation plan) built over two centuries, between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. With a mass of 14,453 tons, the curved line predominates, with circles of blind arches and six floors of loggias. The slope is due to a subsidence of the underlying ground which already occurred in the early stages of construction. The inclination of the building measures 3.9° with respect to the vertical axis. The tower is managed by the Opera della Primaziale Pisana, an organization that manages all the monuments in the Piazza del Duomo in Pisa. It has been proposed as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.