Orchestra Italiano | Part 8, Getting "The Leans"

The so-called Leaning Tower of Pisa is simultaneously a well-known landmark and so comically odd that it has become a trope. However, laying eyes on the reality of it is a remarkable experience because, to look upon it, it just seems impossible. (Or at the very least, highly improbable.) Simply looking at it is enough to give anyone a case of "the leans". For those unfamiliar with the term, getting "the leans" describes a type of spatial disorientation experienced by pilots whose internal sense of which way is up is at odds with reality. I can think of no better way to describe the sensation of viewing this seemingly impossible tower

 April 4, 2024: Into the Walled City

The coastal city of Pisa was founded near the mouth of the Arno River (say it with me, A...R...N...O...) and is old enough that even the ancient Romans reputedly referred to it as an ancient city. During the Middle Ages, the city was fortified by walls starting in 1154. Mostly intact in the 21st century, the city walls are among the oldest in Italy.

We gathered outside the wall and broke into tour groups before entering.

An arched entrance provided a peek of the baptistry and cathedral.

Pusher of Buttons, Speaker of Many Languages, Enemy of Florence

Within the walls, we were introduced to our eccentric tour guide Robert. Or Bob. Bob was OK. But absolutely not Bobby. Robert proved to be a highly knowledgeable tour guide and polyglot who delighted in pushing buttons. He zeroed in on Joey, one of the other parents who was fortunately very good natured. Discovering that Joey was born in Puerto Rico, Robert enjoyed teasing him in Spanish while making exaggerated plays for Joey's wife. Robert also made clear his disdain for Florence and expressed extreme disappointment with us for having visited there before coming to Pisa. And he knew everyone, randomly bantering with the other guides we encountered in what seemed like a different language for each one.

As we surveyed the The Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) that is home to the baptistry, cathedral, and the famous campanile (bell tower) of Pisa, Robert explained that the land was formerly part of the Arno River delta and thus softer than ideal for supporting such massive structures. Even though the tower gets most of the credit for its cartoonishly significant lean, the baptistry is also clearly leaning.

Battistero di San Giovanni

We began our tour of the site with the baptistry. Named for St John, construction began in 1153 and required nearly 200 years to complete. It is the largest baptistry in Italy and architecturally represents a transition from Romanesque styling (lower half) to Gothic (upper half).

The structure is famed for its acoustics. Every thirty minutes, a guard will sing a note that can reverberate through the structure for so long that the singer can harmonize with their own echo. It was hauntingly beautiful.

Duomo di Pisa

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta dominates the Piazza dei Miracoli. It was the first structure to occupy the square and was started in 1603. Consistent with many Christian structures we saw in Italy, the facade recycled marble scavenged from older Roman buildings.

In addition to capturing the impressive Romanesque facade of the cathedral, I also happened to catch Robert (in the hat with the red lanyard) bantering with Joey (in the brown jacket) in this picture.

While Pisa's cathedral cannot compete with the mind-blowing volume of St Peter's Basilica, it is nonetheless a grand and beautiful structure, from its gilded ceiling to the striking black and white marble motif.

Outside the cathedral, evidence of the exterior marble being scavenged from other Roman structures was quite evident from random word fragments occupying various pieces.

Torre Pendente di Pisa

I think that Robert had a flair for the dramatic and intentionally brought us around the cathedral so as to make this our first up close view of the infamous tower.

How can anything lean so much and remain standing so long?

Made up quote of the day: "I'm not leaning, you're leaning."

Robert explained that the tower was built starting in 1173 and completed in 1372. It started to lean almost immediately due to the unstable underlying soil. The tower is actually slightly bent as corrections were made to higher floors in an attempt to make them sit more vertically over the years. The base has since been stabilized with concrete so that no further deviation from vertical can occur.

The freestanding cathedral bell tower really is a beautiful piece of architecture and it is a shame that it is overshadowed by its inadvertent listing.

Kristy, me, Dena, and Mark in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Attempts to correct the tower's lean are very apparent in this photo. Roughly two-thirds of the way up, the floor is oriented more horizontally than the lower floors to create a slight bend. The top floor where the bells are is nearly perfectly oriented to the horizontal, a brute force correction made to the tower's wonky orientation that is only evident when viewed from the proper angle.

I left the tower with a final close-up that emphasizes its elegance over its challenged verticality.

Quarto D'ora Italiano

Having learned our lesson outside the Vatican with tourist trap restaurants, Dena identified the Quarto D'ora Italiano (literally: Italian Quarter of an Hour) as a highly rated pizza place in the city of Pisa. A little research truly made all the difference. The food was excellent, the prices were reasonable, and the staff were fantastic.

City street view in Pisa.

Our children shunned us for lunch that day, but the parents got to reunite and enjoy each other's company. From left to right: Mark, Zhenya, Yana, Dena, Kristy, and me. If I felt any disappointment in this tour versus the previous, it is that I did not get to spend as much time with Yana and Zhenya this time. We had so much fun together in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Photo by Dena.

Whereas I had a relatively basic pizza, Kristy and Dena split this beautiful work of art that was so pretty it almost seemed a shame to cut into it.

Photo by Mark.

Mark enjoyed this delicious "ripieni - rivioitato" ("stuffings returned") take on a calzone.

Photo by Dena.

We ended with these excellent tiramisu (foreground) and limoncello (background) desserts. Pisa may be known for its reclining pillar, but our small group of orchestra parents will always remember it for this delightful meal.

Last Look

We made our way back through the Piazza dei Miracoli to reach our rendezvous with the motor coaches. 

Even though I have now seen it with my own eyes, the reality of this tower still causes me to shake my head in disbelief. No wonder it has become an Italian trope. While I am sure that the Square of Miracles was named in an ecclesiastical sense, to me the miracle is that this stone tower has listed for centuries without falling over.

Without a doubt, the most entertaining sights on the Piazza dei Miracoli were people posing for pictures where they appeared to push or support the leaning tower. When viewed from off angle and without the context of the tower, it appears that the square is filled with crazy people contorted into wacky, random poses. For reasons I no longer recall, I did not take pictures of any of them.

We departed Pisa through the old city portal. I wish we had time to walk the city wall, but Pisa was a mere diversion on the road to Cremona.