Picturesque Pisa (June 1)

Today was my first chance to see another of the defining historical landmarks of Italy: the leaning tower of Pisa. Early this morning we ported in the coast town of La Spezia and then drove an hour inland and down the coast to the famed city of Pisa.

Over the past several years, the tower has been leaning so much that they have not allowed the public to enter the tower. However, they have been slowly making adjustments in the tower’s inclination and it is now safe to climb. As a result, we were actually able to climb all the way to the top of this incredible tower.
Directly adjacent to the leaning tower are the corresponding church and baptistery. In fact, the Pisa baptistery is the tallest in the world. Previous to my visit, I had never understood the purpose of the leaning tower. In fact, it was simply constructed to serve as the bell tower for the nearby church. (Jacob)



The Leaning Tower of Pisa is probably the best-known tower in the world.  The tower, baptistery and cathedral are all incredibly beautiful, because they were built with white marble.  The famous tower of Pisa was leaning so much at one point in the 1900s, that it was cleared of all people for several years.  The reason for the lean in the Leaning Tower, is because the ground was so soft that one side of the tower sunk slightly into the ground.

After our visit to the tower, we adjourned to a nearby pastry and gelato shop.  At the restaurant, every family was given an immense plate of pastries.  In addition, the children received fantastic servings of gelato, or Italian ice cream.  Overall, I had a fantastic day.  (Jesse)