Despite the fact that there have been multiple construction projects over the years to make sure the tower doesn’t lean too far and fall over, it’s apparently impossible to get it exactly straight, so it has always been left standing at an angle. Maybe it’s because the place where it’s built is called the Piazza dei Miracoli, or “Miracle Square,” but it’s said that the tower likely won’t topple for the next 300 years.
You may think that the tower is leaning because the land it’s built on has gradually sunk over the years, but amazingly, the tower started to lean during its construction—meaning that the surveyors either neglected to do their job or neglected to do it well. Apparently they were too far along in the construction to start over once they realized it. They determined that they had no other choice but to try to straighten it during construction and after it was built, but this ended up failing—so they ultimately decided to build just the very top piece vertically to balance out the rest of the leaning tower. Such a classic Italian solution!
You may want to visit Pisa just to see its leaning tower, but the town has other interesting things to offer as well. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Pisa flourished as one of Italy’s four maritime republics, meaning it was on par with its sister republics at the time—Genoa, Venice, and Amalfi.
But there was something different about Pisa. It was a strange area with no sign or smell of the ocean; in fact, you wouldn’t have any idea the sea was even there if someone didn’t tell you. For one, it lies a full ten kilometers from the coast.
The town straddles the Arno River which, though it lacks the luxurious charm of the Seine winding through Paris, is still lined with elegant structures that glitter brilliantly in the ample sunlight. Anyone who strolls along the banks admiring these shining buildings can’t help but imagine living a luxurious fantasy life in Pisa.
Pisa was ravaged and began to decline after battling Genoa, one of its rival cities, and today is one of Italy’s minor municipalities. Still, it boasts a railway, ocean, river, and farmland—as well as an airfield less than five kilometers from the city center. It really lacks nothing.
As I dreamed of living in this tiny, well-appointed town along the banks of the Arno River, I was told that modern Pisa is famous as a college town and particularly known for physics and engineering studies. Apparently, nearly all of the lovely riverside buildings are student dorms.
What a fantastic college life! Being a university student in Pisa is the way to go.
