Leaning+Tower+of+Pisa

History :
Construction of the tower occurred in three stages over 177 years. Work on the ground floor of the white marble campanile began on August 8, 1173, during a period of military success and prosperity. This ground floor has blind arcades and engaged columns with classical Corinthian capitals.The tower began to sink after constructing the second floor in 1178. This was due to a shallow three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable soil. The construction stopped for almost a century, because the Republic of Pisa was almost continually engaged in battles with Genoa, Luca and Florence. In 1198 clocks were temporarily installed on the third floor of the unfinished construction.

Characteristics:

 * Elevation of Piazza del Duomo: about 2 metres (6 feet, DMS)
 * Height from the ground floor: 55.863 metres (183 ft 3 in), 8 stories
 * Height from the foundation floor: 58.36 metres (191 ft 47 in)
 * Outer diameter of base: 15.484 metres (50 ft 9.6 in)
 * Inner diameter of base: 7.368 metres (24 ft 2.1 in)
 * Angle of slant: 3.97 degrees or 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from the vertical
 * Weight: 14,700 metric tons (16,200 short tons)
 * Thickness of walls at the base: 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in)
 * Total number of bells: 7, tuned to musical scale, clockwise.

People and places:

 * people: **
 * Giovanni Pietro Orlandi
 * Vincenzo Possenti
 * Giovanni Andrea Moreni
 * Lotteringo
 * Nicola di Jacopo
 * places: **
 * Cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa

Renovations and changes:
In 1272 construction resumed under Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved. Construction was halted again in 1284, when the Pisans were defeated by the Genoans in the Battle of Meloria. After a phase (1990–2001) of structural strengthening, the tower is currently undergoing gradual surface restoration, in order to repair visual damage, mostly corrosion and blackening. These are due to the tower's age and its exposure to wind and rain.

Illustrations:
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 * Links: **