Noting that there were no ropes attached, a firefighter in our group announced that they were probably ornamental. There are seven bells at the top-a couple the size of cars, a couple the size of trucks. There is another facet of the 813-year-old tower that is seldom considered, but which the tourist would do well to keep in mind: the bell tower.

The six-foot bronze Giambologna crucifix over the main altar would be well worth the trip to Pisa even if it were the only attraction. Spend your time in the duomo, the cathedral. That’s for 294 steps up and 294 steps down.įor most people it’s only a minor problem, but if you’ve picked up a little wear over the years, take the advice of an ex-jogger and skip climbing the tower. This means that each of the 294 steps in the spiral staircase to the top is a little inclined plane of its own and the angles change for each step, forcing the knee, which is basically designed for vertical operation, through every possible angle except vertical. Second, because it never occurred to anyone during the building process that it would never be possible to straighten the 14,500 tons of tower, it was built as if it were vertical, which it is not. 1, try not to fall off or out of the tower. He answered that he thought they were all dead, hastening to explain: “After all, they’ve been falling off since 1174. I asked a uniformed tower employee if anyone ever fell off. The eight-story structure has six open galleries around its circumference, all of which make the ground immediately accessible to the careless tourist.

“There is absolutely no danger.”įirst, the Italian custodians of this architectural marvel, not anxious to disfigure the structure even in the interest of public safety, have been a little short in their use of safety equipment.

Leaning tower of pizza las vegas