Leaning Tower of Pisa Half Day Tour

          Pisa, only 30 minutes driving from Livorno, was once famous as a sea-trading republic .   Today it is a tourist   city with the Leaning Tower on a lovely green lawn and the adjacent Cathedral and Baptistery. Scattered across a golf-course-green lawn are four large white buildings that make up  Pisa’s religious center : the Cathedral , its bell tower ( the leaning Tower ) , Baptistery and Camposanto Cemetery. The four buildings share similar building materials , comparable decoration, and a tendency toward circular designs , giving the Campo a pleasant visual unity.  The construction of the Cathedral started in 1063 to commemorate the Pisans defeat of the Saracens in Sicily that year.  Its interior pillars were brought back from the Moslem lands during the campaigns.  In the half-dome there are superb 13th century mosaics by Cimabue.

                    The Leaning Tower  was designed as a bell tower to the Cathedral and construction started in 1174.  It was finally finished in 1350.  Its leaning ( 4m – 13 feet at the top) is caused by the settling of the alluvium subsoil , which lacks the resistance to withstand the weight  of the tower. The tower is cylindrical and comprises six open galleries , which give an illusion of spiralling upwards due to the inclination. Lower down , the blind arcades are adorned with lozenges in the true Pisan style. The 294 steps lead to the top terrace from which there is a striking view.  After the guided visit , some free time will give to you to walk around , before reboarding the coach and back to  Leghorn.