Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Pisa. It stands in Piazza del Duomo, the monumental religious square also known as Piazza dei Miracoli. The tower is famous worldwide for its unintended tilt, caused by unstable ground beneath its foundation. Although it is usually treated as an independent monument, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was built as part of the cathedral complex. Its function was religious and practical, not defensive. The seven bells at the top marked liturgical moments, public time, and ceremonies connected with the life of the cathedral and the city. Piazza del Duomo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The square includes the cathedral, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Camposanto, the Opera del Duomo Museum, the Sinopie Museum, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Together, these monuments form one of the most important medieval architectural ensembles in Italy. Today, the Leaning Tower is not only a symbol of Pisa, but also a major example of medieval engineering, structural risk, and modern conservation. Its survival is the result of long construction pauses, later corrections, and major stabilization works carried Read more [...]
All Towers in Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the city’s most famous tower and the freestanding bell tower of Pisa Cathedral. Located in Piazza dei Miracoli, it was begun in 1173 and completed in the 14th century. Its visible tilt was caused by unstable ground, but stabilization works have preserved it as Pisa’s main landmark.
Other important towers reflect Pisa’s medieval and defensive history. Torre Guelfa stands in the Cittadella Vecchia, near the old republican arsenal, and offers views over the Arno and San Rossore. Torre del Campano is a medieval tower-house in the historic center, while Torre dei Gualandi is linked to Palazzo dell’Orologio in Piazza dei Cavalieri.
Torre Guelfa
Torre Guelfa (Guelph Tower) is a tower in Pisa, located on Lungarno Ranieri Simonelli, near the Old Citadel (Cittadella Vecchia) and Ponte della Cittadella. SHORT HISTORY On this area, during medieval times, it was the Republican Arsenal, where the ships of the Marine Republic of Pisa were built, ships that contributed to the city’s rise as a Mediterranean power. At the beginning of the 15th century, the shipyard was enlarged and transformed to what will be later known as the Old Citadel, in opposition to the New Citadel (Cittadella Nuova), built in 1440 on the other side of the city. Around the same time, Torre Guelfa was built. The name of the tower was chosen in contrast to the older Ghibelline Tower (Torre Ghibellina), erected in 1290 and later destroyed. The Guelph Tower, together with the Sant’Agnese Tower (Torre di Sant’Agnese), the Canto Tower (Torre del Canto) and the Ghibelline Tower, delimited the ancient area of Terzanaia, where republican galleys were built and repaired. In 1944, during the Second World War, the whole area was badly damaged by bombing, and the citadel along with the Guelph Tower were completely destroyed, with the exception of the Republican Arsenal. In 1956, Read more [...]