Pisa italy leaning Tower Virtual Tour

2007-08-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

Pisa, a city of 90,000 in Tuscany at the mouth of the Arno River near the Tyrrhenian Sea, is renowned for its Leaning Tower and as home to the great Galileo Galilei. Pisa has many architecturally important structures in the city such as the beautiful Duomo, Baptistery and the Campo Santo (cemetery).
Pisa Italy leaning Tower Virtual Tour

The city of Pisa existed during Etruscan and Roman times but only reached its height during the Middle Ages, when it was one of the four Marine Republics of Italy, along with Genoa, Amalfi and Venice. During this time the city was an important commercial center and controlled a large Mediterranean fleet of ships. Its decline began in the early 13th century when it was defeated by Genoa in the naval Battle of Meloria, in 1284. Although Pisa tried to rebuild its power in the 14th century it was eventually conquered by Florence in 1406, and held under its power until 1509. Pisa’s independence was eventually achieved and it was chosen to host the spoils of Henry, King of Germans, which still lie in the Pisa Cathedral.

The 180 ft (55m) Leaning Tower is the bell tower, or campanile, for the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its construction started in 1173 and continued, off and on, for the next 200 years. For many years it was believed that the inclination of the Tower was part of its design, but today we know that the Tower was designed to stand vertically and started to lean during its construction, when three stories high; attempts to compensate for this during its construction give the tower a slightly curved shape. By the 1990s, the tower was tilting more than 13 ft from the vertical and restoration efforts were made in 1993 and again in 1995, reducing the tilt to 11’8”. The present restoration is predicted to preserve the tower's stability for some 300 more years

Visit Arounder Pisa Virtual Tour to view fullscreen panoramas of the Duomo, Baptistery and Leaning Tower, along with a great aerial view of the city.

Pisa italy leaning Tower Virtual Tour

2007-08-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

click on a thumbnail to open fullscreen QTVR

Baptistry - interior

Italy > Pisa

The circular baptistery was begun in 1152 and finished a century later by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. Recently Italian musicologists cracked a five century-old acoustic code to reveal that Christianity’s largest baptistery is a musical instrument, designed to mimic the pipes of a church organ. The acoustics beneath the 75-meter (250ft) cupola are so perfect that it must be either an incredible coincidence or the work of genius.

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Dome - altar

Italy > Pisa

The spectacular XIII century Pulpit by Giovanni Pisano in the middle of the Cathedral, was reassembled in 1926. Its beautiful octagonal structure, with sculptures and reliefs, is an outstanding example of the transition period of European art from the Romanesque style to the dramatic Gothic forms.

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Dome - central nave

Italy > Pisa

The interior of the Cathedral is solemn. There are five aisles (three in the transept) and two galleries overlooking the central nave. The columns supporting the round arches come from different places and belong to different times. In the middle of the nave, near the inner wall of the cathedral, is a long line of imposing granite colonnades, which are almost all antique and have capitals of Corinthian style. The women's gallery with little loggias is located above the nave.

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Dome - side nave

Italy > Pisa

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Dome exterior

Italy > Pisa

Pisa’s Latin-cross shaped Cathedral is a large structure of marble, calcar and stone more than 100 meters long with a large dome. The different styles of the impressive facade are beautifully blended to create a unity of unsurpassed harmony.

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

East side

Italy > Pisa

The 180 ft (55m) Leaning Tower is the bell tower, or campanile, for the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its construction started in 1173 and continued, off and on, for the next 200 years. By the 1990s, the tower was tilting more than 13 ft from the vertical and restoration efforts were made in 1993 and again in 1995, reducing the tilt to 11’8”. The present restoration is predicted to preserve the tower's stability for some 300 more years.

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Tower

Italy > Pisa

For many years it was believed that the inclination of the Tower was part of its design, but today we know that the Tower was designed to stand vertically and started to lean during its construction, when three stories high; attempts to compensate for this during its construction give the tower a slightly curved shape.

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Panoramic view

Italy > Pisa

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Dome at dusk

Italy > Pisa

Standing in a large green expanse, Piazza del Duomo houses a group of monuments known the world over. These four masterpieces of medieval architecture – the cathedral, the baptistry, the campanile (the 'Leaning Tower') and the cemetery – had a great influence on monumental art in Italy from the 11th to the 14th century.

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi

Dome at dusk

Italy > Pisa

Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi