Discover fun and interesting facts about the leaning tower of Pisa for kids and curious adults; great for school projects and travel planning.
The leaning tower of Pisa is one of the most famous Italian landmarks and a monument of great historical significance.
The tower is known worldwide for leaning on its side, leaving the viewer with the impression it is about to collapse.
This peculiarity leads many tourists each year to this unique monument: the climb the tower and feel the thrill of experiencing its sloping floor under their feet and pose to take photos as of supporting it with their hands (guilty, we have done it too!).
However, there is more to the Tower of Pisa than the fact that it leans.
The tower is a breathtaking work of art a is part of a monumental complex among the most impressive in Italy: Piazza dei Miracoli, one of the most beautiful piazzas in Italy!
These are some of the most fun and fascinating facts about the leaning tower of Pisa.
Table of Contents
Where is the leaning tower of Pisa?
The leaning tower of Pisa is in the town of Pisa, in Italy.
Its exact address is Piazza del Duomo, 56126 Pisa PI, Italy.
The tower is part of a complex with several buildings: beside it, you have Pisa’s Duomo, aka the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Pisa’s Baptistry and Pisa’s Monumental cemetery, the camposanto.
What is the official name of the tower in Pisa?
The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of Pisa’s Duomo, the church of Santa Maria Assunta.
Its official name is ‘Belltower of Santa Maria Assunta’, campanile di Santa Maria Assunta.
In practice, everyone refers to it as the Tower of Pisa, the leaning tower of Pisa or, in Italian, la Torre di Pisa.
How tall is the leaning tower in Pisa? And how heavy?
The tower of Pisa is 56m (183 ft) tall or, more precisely:
- Its original height was 60m (197ft)
- Its current height is 56.67m (189ft) on the highest side and 55.86m (183ft) on the lowest side
- The outside diameter of the leaning Tower of Pisa’s base is 15.4m (50.5ft). The walls at its base are 2.4m (7.8ft) thick.
- The tower weighs over 14,000 tons!
How many floors are in the tower in Pisa? And how many steps?
The Tower of Pisa has eight floors and 293 steps.
Who built the leaning tower in Pisa?
The name of the architect who built the Tower of Pisa is still a mystery.
According to Vasari and an inscription found in the area, the architect was Bonanno Pisano but others say the tower’s creator was Gherardi or Diotisalvi.
Most art historians believe Bonanno Pisano was the architect who made the tower.
When was the Pisa Tower built?
The tower in Pisa was built in 1173.
The tower was part of a larger design for the square and was built as the bell tower of the nearby Duomo.
Art historians believe the building of the tower and piazza took over 200 years. The Tower of Pisa Is, therefore, over 800 years old!
Fun fact: it is not unusual for large religious buildings to be built over centuries. The cathedral in Milan took over five centuries! You can find more fun facts about Milan’s Duomo here.
At what angle does the tower in Pisa lean?
The tower of Pisa now leans at a 3.9 degrees angle.
In the past, the tower leaned differnelty and, in 1993, it reached an angle of 4.5 degrees. This was too much for the tower to hold; therefore, work was carried out to stabilize it.
Fun fact for maths lovers: If you like maths, you will love to learn that the leaning tower of Pisa can lean safely as long as the vertical that passes by its barycenter falls within its base. Once the vertical falls outside the area, the balance is compromised.
Why is the tower in Pisa tilted?
The tower of Pisa is tilted to one side because the ground it was built on was too weak to support its weight.
When the building started, everything went well for the first two floors; however, as they added the third one, one side of the foundation collapsed.
The ground was too soft for its weight and the part of it gave way.
The engineering hiccup was not intentional. However, the result is so beautiful that in the 1800s, many believed they had built it this way on purpose!
The tilt posed a risk to the stability of the tower and required constant maintenance to ensure the tower would stay up.
In the 1980s, a last intervention allowed the tower to stabilize in a leaning yet safe position.
Fun fact: The name Pisa seems to come from a Greek word meaning ‘marshy land’ and dates from 600 BC. This should have probably warned its builders about the nature of the soil!
The tower has seven bells.
To do its job as a belltower, the tower of Pisa has seven bells, one for each musical note.
The bell associated with the note RE/D is also called ‘the bell of the traitor’: this used to ring anytime a traitor was sentenced!
Each bell has a name: Assunta, del Crocifisso, San Ranieri (the one of the traitor), Dal Pozzo, Pasquereccia (Rung at easter), Terza, Vespruccio (Rung at the vespri, sundown)
Fun fact: it is not uncommon for bell towers to have many bells. St Mark in Venice for instance, has 5, each with a different purpose. You can find fun facts about Venice here.
What is the leaning tower of Pisa made of?
The tower in Pisa is made of white marble from Carrara and San Giuliano.
On particular occasions, the tower lights up with colored lights to mark special events.
Some worth noticing are the 16th of June, the celebration of San Ranieri, which sees the tower lit up with tiny lights, St Patrick’s Day, when it gets illuminated in Green, and blue for the anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations.
What is the architectural style of the Tower of Pisa?
The Tower of Pisa has an architectural style that mixes Romanesque architecture and Oriental influence.
Romanesque architecture was the most common in the area at the time of its construction but Pisa was a great naval power with a fleet often traveling to Northern Africa and the Middle East; therefore, some aesthetic influences came from that area too.
Good to know: Tuscany has many Romanesque churches and you can see how different they look from the Romanesque style in Pisa in towns such as San Quirico d’Orcia.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of Italy’s famous landmarks.
Are there rooms inside the Tower of Pisa?
The tower has two rooms: the room of the fish at its base and the bell cell a the 7th floor.
Is the tower of Pisa Unesco World Heritage Site?
The Tower of Pisa and Piazza del Duomo entered the Unesco World Heritage Sites list in 1987.
They are significant for their beauty, the wise use of space, their influence on other buildings, and even the history of science (see below).
What did Galileo Galilei Discover at the Tower of Pisa?
Galileo Galilei is said to have conducted experiments at the Tower of Pisa.
He used the tower to study the behavior of falling objects. He observed that things of different weights landed at different speeds, which allowed him to better understand the laws of gravity.
The beauty of the Tower of Pisa saved it from destruction.
In 1943, during the II World War, the allied bombed Pisa and destroyed a large part of the city, yet the tower got spared.
The story goes like this.
The army commanders thought the tower was a snipers’ hiding spot and, therefore, sent orders to blow it up.
The Sergeant Major who received the order went to it one evening to carry out the command and take in a last sight. Then, taken by its beauty, he decided there would be no harm in waiting until the following morning and gave to the tower one more night.
In the morning, before the order could be carried out, Pisa fell in the hands of the allied, and the tower could stay!
Can you climb up the leaning tower of Pisa?
Adults and kids over eight can climb to the top of the Tower of Pisa.
You can find here >>> all about visiting Pisa and the best tickets to get
Fun facts about the leaning tower of Pisa: pin this!
I hope you enjoyed these fun and interesting facts about the leaning tower of Pisa and helped quench your curiosity!
If you love fun facts, don’t forget to check out fun facts about Tuscany and about Italy.
Post published in 2019, updated in 2023 with recent photos and additional facts.
