Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt.
It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistery. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183.27 feet) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres (185.93 feet) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons. The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from the centre.
Tags: Pisa tower campanile leaning lean degrees vertical marble Campo dei Miracoli Piazza dei Miracoli Field of Miracles Square of Miracles Andy Rouse Canon 5D 5D3 MkIII
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Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa
You generally have to fly into Pisa International Airport for Florence, so it would be a missed opportunity not to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa at some point during our city break and get that tick in the box of another world architectural icon. We decided to visit on our way back to the airport, but unfortunately you don’t get dropped off anywhere near, so we jumped in a taxi and headed back. Pisa is a surprisingly big town and it took a good 20mins (through a lot of back streets I might add) to get to the Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza dei Miracoli, which means Field of Miracles or Square of Miracles... you take your pick!
There are 4 main buildings in the Piazza dei Miracoli: - the cathedral – Duomo di Pisa, the Baptistery. Work started on the campanile third in sequence but the cemetery, Campo Santo, was completed ahead of the tower, which took centuries to complete for obvious reasons.
We only had 30mins here (didn’t have chance to climb the tower, which I would most certainly have done time permitting) hence the touristy shots.
Tags: Pisa tower campanile leaning lean degrees vertical marble Campo dei Miracoli Piazza dei Miracoli Field of Miracles Square of Miracles Andy Rouse Canon 5D 5D3 MkIII
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Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa
A shot of the tower to simply convey the angle of lean, which more than surprised me!
Tags: Pisa tower campanile leaning lean degrees vertical marble Campo dei Miracoli Piazza dei Miracoli Field of Miracles Square of Miracles Andy Rouse Canon 5D 5D3 MkIII
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Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa
The Pisa Baptistery of St. John is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building. Construction started in 1152 to replace an older baptistery, and when it was completed in 1363, it became the second building, in chronological order, in the Piazza dei Miracoli, near the Duomo di Pisa and the cathedral's free-standing campanile, the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The baptistery was designed by Diotisalvi, whose signature can be read on two pillars inside the building, with the date 1153.
The largest baptistery in Italy, it is 54.86m high, with a diameter of 34.13 m. The Pisa Baptistery is an example of the transition from the Romanesque style to the Gothic style: the lower section is in the Romanesque style, with rounded arches, while the upper sections are in the Gothic style, with pointed arches. The Baptistery is constructed of marble, as is common in Italian architecture.
Constructed on the same unstable sand as the tower and cathedral, the Baptistery leans 0.6 degrees toward the cathedral. Originally the shape of the Baptistery, according to the project by Diotisalvi, was different. It was perhaps similar to the church of Holy Sepulchre in Pisa, with its pyramidal roof. After the death of the architect, Nicola Pisano continued the work, changing the style to the more modern Gothic one. Also an external roof was added giving the shape of a cupola.
Tags: Baptistery cathedral Diotisalvi Roman Romanesque Gothic dome marble Campo dei Miracoli Piazza dei Miracoli Field of Miracles Square of Miracles Andy Rouse Canon 5D 5D3 MkIII
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