TOWER OF LEANING PISA
TILTING AT A GRAVITY-DEFYING FIVE DEGREES, THIS MARBLE MARVEL, IMMORTALISED IN KITSCH SOUVENIR SHOPS, COULD HAVE ENDED UP AS A PILE OF RUBBLE.
You copy the tourists posing at a distance from the Leaning Tower, arms outstretched, legs braced, as if propping it up. The guidebook picture you studied beforehand looked fake, but now that you see the tower in the light of day, it really does live up to its name. Its infamous slanting profi le detracts from its true beauty – a stunning white edifi ce encased in columned arches, crowned by a bell tower. Ducking inside the doorway, you join the tour. An enthusiastic guide’s strong Italian accent echoes around the circular room. Glancing up, you realise the tower is empty, devoid of levels. Your eyes are drawn upwards towards the bright circle of sunlight way above.It’s a steep climb up the 293 steps to the top. Over the centuries, millions of footsteps have worn away the marble staircase, hollowing an indent into each step. As you climb higher you lean like the tower, your feet falling into the step hollows.
Higher up, the staircase winds round to the other side, and this time the tilt throws you against the central wall.As you emerge at the top, the late afternoon sun casts shadows over the red-roofed city below.
Seven copper bells encircle the top tier. Little did the original architect know what an amusing icon this striking building would become.
In 1160, Pisa boasted 10,000-odd towers, but had no bell tower for its grand cathedral. Loyal Pisan Berta di Bernardo righted this in 1172 when she died, leaving a legacy for construction of a campanile – a bell tower. Work began in 1173, but ground to a halt a decade later, when the structure’s fi rst three
tiers were observed to be tilting.
The reason:
the foundations were just 3m deep and 20 sq metres, resting on soft, marshy ground made of silt and clay that varied in water content – not suited to the tower’s 32,400 marble blocks,weighing 14.45 tonnes in total. (It would be a bit like putting an eight-tiered wedding cake on a small, thin plate on top of bread dough.)
War likely stopped any further construction for the next century, giving the soil time to settle.
In 1272, workstarted again under the direction of architect Giovanni di-Simone, with artisans and masons attempting to bolster the foundations – but failing miserably. Despite this, they kept going, compensating for the lean
by gradually building straight up from the lower storeys and creating a subtle curve.
In 1278, Giovanni di Simone admitted defeat and hung up his T-square and
compass. Some of the seven bells were suspended on the top storey, but the tower remained unfinished. But,eventually, after over a century of deliberation, the tower was completed and a magnifi cent belfry added to
the top. Accounting for the slant of the tower, the belfry was built as close as possible to the north of the tower opposite the overhanging side – giving it an asymmetrical shape, but saving it
from ruin.Leaning Tower SOS
Over time, the tower’s tilt increased at an average rate of 1mm each year. By 1990, it was at risk of toppling over. The little green entrance door was locked
up with its huge key, and the tower was closed to the public. This was supposed to be a temporary measure. But by 1993 the tower was 4.47m out of plumb, more than five degrees from the vertical. Even without the annual tread of one million
visitors, crumbling or cracked stonework on the south side meant that the tower was still at serious risk of collapsing under its own weight. Engineers imposed two temporary solutions – the ‘Corset’ and the ‘Crutch’ – before a permanent fi x was implemented.
The whole restoration project took far longer than expected, but experts believe it will guarantee the tower’s future for the next three centuries.
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