The Tower of Pisa is Leaning

Not a very original title, I know, but it is the best I could come up with.  Over the holidays I have a list of blog posts I want to write that have been sitting on the back burner as I know they will take a considerable amount of time to write and one of these is about how I plan trips. It is a long and complicated process but it allows me to see all of things I’m interested in with room for spontaneity.  One tweak to this trip planning process I made for our Italy roadtrip was to get input from Mark on what he was interested on seeing.  And to be honest, it surprised me when he motioned to the tower of Pisa. Sure, it’s one of the most famous landmarks in the country but even after many visits it’s not something I’d even considered. However, as this was not just my trip I worked on how to best plan a visit into our packed agenda. We ended up visiting on our fifth day – as we nearly drove by it between Cinque Terre and Florence.

While some places I research the heck out of including booking advanced tickets and tours, Pisa was just somewhere I was planning on viewing the tower and I had booked lunch reservations at a restraint with a view of the complex. When you enter from the Via Bonanno Pisano I will be honest, the tower looks small and is not that impressive.  However, when you start reading the signs clearly posted in many languages the sign makes sense as the leaning structure is the bell tower for the Cattedrale di Pisa.  Why you may not know this from photos is because the bell tower is a free standing structure roughly 20 meters from the next closest building and thus not in most snaps. Keep scrolling through and you will see what I mean:

While we were not planning on entering the tower but I am a huge fan of the phrase “buy the ticket, take the trip” so we stopped in the office and learned there were timed tickets available 40 minutes later which we purchased. We had to check my purse as no bags are allowed and joined a socially distance queue as we awaited our time. Once inside we received a brief history and a device that lets you know when you are within two meters of others (it is the green device below). Mark and I then proceeded to climb the 183 feet to the top of the tower and were treated to a gorgeous 360 degree vista of Pisa.  You can get up close and personal with the bells at the top and can truly feel the 5.5 degree lean of the tower but I felt reassured we would not just topple over. And do not take it from me, I liked this Reuters article Pisa’s leaning tower safe for 300 years – that is enough time for me! Take a look:

And then one more of the iconic holding up the tower shot, just because: 

If you are planning a visit and do want to visit the top of the Tower of Pisa I would highly suggest buying tickets ahead of time because even pre-COVID only a set number of people can fit in the narrow spiral staircases and they do sell out.  You can purchase tickets online beginning 20 days before your visit and all of the details and prices can be found on the official site. 

Would you want to visit the Tower of Pisa?