The Leaning Tower of Pisa

“Let’s build on soft ground! What could happen?”

The Leaning Tower of Pisa could happen, and unexpectedly give every math teacher the ultimate example of angles.

This iconic tower was begun in the 1170s and continued to be built over the span of almost two centuries, with work being halted because the tower sunk further into the ground, there was a war on, there was another war on, until it was eventually finished in 1372. To compensate for the tilt the tower’s floors are built slightly taller on one side, so it’s also curved, just like the stairs!

The spiral staircase winds right up to the top, but the steps too are curved, worn down from centuries of people climbing to the top. It’s dizzying, and terrifying especially on the way down, one slip and it would be down the rest of the stairs on your bottom, but the view from the top is one hundred percent worth it, as is the weird wonky way you’ll have to stand at the top. Seriously it’s really fun!

I have just checked the website and as of May the Tower of Pisa is open to the public with Covid safety measures, so if you’ve got 18 euro you can make your way to the top at your designated time.

If heights isn’t your thing you’ll probably not have a great time, especially at the top where you kind of feel like you’re falling off. Stay on the ground and you can take the traditional tourist selfie of yourself holding up the tower from one side, leaning on it, or any other creative photo. Personally I prefer the ones of someone blowing on it as if they’re the big bad wolf and the tower is crumbling to their mighty puffs. The tower also happens to be right next to the Pisa Cathedral a beautiful church that is itself worth a trip to the city of Pisa. You can also buy, alongside your ticket to the tower, entrance to the nearby Baptistry, Camposanto, Sinopie Museum, and the Opera Del Duomo Museum, none of which I have entered but am assured that they are well worth the money spent upon them. You can buy all of of these tickets ahead of time, as I suggest you do, at the Tower of Pisa Official Website. I give you this link because when I googled Tower of Pisa tickets to do my fact checking, I only got tour operators, not the official site. I do also have to say that I remember having a tour guide through the church, and she was so ecstatic about her job, she really enjoyed it, and it made our experience all that much better. I will endeavor to find out which tour company she was from, or if she worked for the caretakers of the tower itself, so be on the lookout for an update!

For your visit I definitely recommend some sunscreen and water as it can get very hot in Italy during the summer, but also an excellent pair of shoes if you plan on climbing the tower. Those stairs are no joke. Mom and I each had a good set of sneakers on and we still had a few mishaps. Poor Dad was in sandals. He thought they would be okay as they’re designed more like open shoes, but it still didn’t go well for him. Crawl up on all fours if you have to, it doesn’t matter how you climb up, only that you got to the top!