Finally, it is once again possible to climb the 294 steps of one of the most famous Italian monuments
Today, after over two months of lockdown, Italy is finally welcoming back anyone that from abroad wants to visit it. And one of the monuments that in the imagination of international tourists better represents the Belpaese, together with the Colosseum, is the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Every year, 3.5 million people used to climb the 294 steps to reach the top of the tower and admire the city’s Cathedral Square, Piazza dei Miracoli, from up above. However, in the past weeks, no one did so. And no one took part in the pop ritual of taking a photo pretending to sustain the tower thanks to prospective.
Now, all of this is once again possible, even if with the implementation of some extra safety measures.
In defiance of all the architectural rules, and despite its almost 4-degree lean, the bell tower has stood for centuries well planted on the ground. According to the most accredited version of the story of its construction, Bonanno Pisano began the works in 1173. And they were completed only 200 years later in 1324. The first two floors were built without problems. Anyhow, in 1178, the unstable subsoil in which the foundation is set began to sink. And this casued the tower to lean on one side.
On the 8th and last floor of the tower, at a height of 56 meters, the bell-chamber, houses seven bells, one for each note of the musical major scale. They each have a different name – L’Assunta, Il Crocifisso, San Ranieri, La Terza, La Pasquereccia, Il Vespruccio, Dal Pozzo – and a unique story. In ancient times, each bell was assigned to a moment of the liturgical day: La Terza, for example, was associated with the third hour of the day (9 a.m.), while Vespruccio at vespers (6 p.m.). San Ranieri, on the other hand, is also called the Bell of the Traitor because it rang every time a traitor was sentenced to death. While La Pasquereccia cheered up the population with his notes on Easter day.
Ilona Catani Scarlett