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Pisa is, of course, famous for its Leaning Tower, a bell tower, or campanile, within the medieval Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) cathedral complex. From the 11th to the 13th centuries Pisa was the commercial empire of southern Italy, expanding Italy's power over the islands of Corsica, Sicily, and Sardinia and controlling most of the Tuscan coast. During this time and subsequent centuries, Pisa built up its power and economic fortitude, and its wealth allowed for the construction of the gleaming white marble complex of religious buildings known as the Campo dei Miracoli, the Field of Miracles.

The Tower began leaning when only three of its eight storys were finished. It also served as observatory for Pisa's hometown astronomer, Galileo Galilei, who was imprisoned by the Inquisition for supporting that heretical idea about the Earth revolving around the sun. The Tower is still leaning, too, so much so that it's now closed to the public.

The famous Leaning Tower is the cathedral's bell-tower, upon which construction began in 1173. The tilting of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is not new. Soon after this 800-year-old campanile (free standing bell tower) was begun, workers noticed a risky inclination caused by soft subsoil. Partial remedies were applied and the architecturally flawed tower was completed about 70 years later.

Over the centuries the tilt angle of the 56-meter (182-feet) tall Leaning Tower of Pisa continued to increase. Today the top edge lists about 5 meters (16 feet) from the perpendicular, creating a gravity-defying appearance.

Some experts predict an any-year-now collapse, others believe that the current restoration project will save this world wonder.

Visitors can no longer climb the tower, Since 1990, the Leaning Tower of Pisa's internal steps have been closed to the public. No longer can we climb the 294-step spiral staircase to the belfry as a million people have done in the past. As of June 2001, visitors can climb the tower again for the first time in many years.

Pisa is situated at the mouth of the Arno River, 10 km inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in west-central Italy's Tuscany Region. It's one of Italy's oldest towns, with Etruscan origins going back 3,000 years. A prime port in Roman times, Pisa became a power in its own right, fighting wars with Florence, Lucca, and Genoa, before bowing to the latter in 1284, which began a long period of decline.

Worldroom: Pisa City Guide

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