The Leaning Tower of Pisa - Pisa - TravBuddy

I marked the cost as free because I think the admission price to enter is just too much per person (around 15 Euro per person which is like a huge chunk of American Dollar these days). This is a great structure but I think the tourists are unfortunately being taken advantage of here. The view from the outside is jawdropping enough. I do splurge on some of the tourists sites but I just didn't feel the compulsion to do it on this particular trip.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most enduring images for travellers worldwide. Though the town of Pisa is of little interest aside from the Campo Dei Miracoli this one site alone makes Pisa worth a visit, even if it is just as a stop off in between one place and another. The Field of Miracles can be seen in one long afternoon and should be squeezed into any visit to Tuscany.

Climbing the tower is not cheap. It costs 15 euro. All over Italy you can climb, towers and domes and rarely is it this expensive but climbing the Leaning Tower is of course a huge novelty. It is definitely a surreal experience to climb a tower that is leaning, especially as the stairway is obviously spiralled. You will probably find yourself leaning inward as you round the leaning side of the tower, especially when you get near the windows! Climbing the tower would be a nice experience even if it wasn't leaning as on the upper levels you can admire the loggia of the tower.

At the top there are decent views of the town and some distant moutains and some excellent views of the Campo, Cathedral and Baptistry. For the first few minutes you might find yourself gripping the handrail at the edge of the tower as the well worn marble is a little slippery but you become accustomed to the tilt and get caught up in the experience. I'm sure most would have at least one friend with you, as I did, who gets a kick from leaning backwards over the edge as soon as they make it to the top!

When I climbed the tower in 2005 it cost 15 euro, expensive for Italy (especially when you are not even half way through a four week trip) but it was a cost I didn't think twice about. People go to Pisa for the sole purpose of climbing the tower, it must be done! It's great to be able to say 'I've climbed The Leaning Tower of Pisa', especially since it had been closed for a time not too many years before. Although engineers have recently stabilised the tower and it should be fixed in one place for about 200 years you just never know as the tower has been flirting with the ground below for centuries. So get to the tower as fast as you can and climb that bell tower! Marvel at the flat land below.

To have seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a nice experience. It was really leaning:p It was so funny to actually see that! And really good having, since one day it apparently will fall over...that's sad. But now that I have seen it, I can at least breath out;)

Before you'll arrive to the tower there are thousends of suvinir stands to work your way through. But there are many nice and interesting things to get. Everything what has to do with the tower is there, everything from T-shirts, small to big towers, dishes & lamps till vodka, grappa or olive oil in leaning pisa-bottles & leaning shot-glasses;) hehe..a bit for every taste!

The famous leaning tower of Pisa is the bell tower for the nearby cathedral and it's construction has taken almost 200 years.
Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after it's construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m on the highest side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m and at the top 2.48 m. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes. The tower has 294 steps and leans at an angle of 5.5 degrees.

We only stopped in Pisa to see the Tower on the way through to Florence but found it to be a lovely place to stop for lunch and see the sights.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to go up the tower. It was such a lovely place with green lawns around the beautiful buildings.