Leaning Tower of Pisa
My name is Aoife, and my project is on the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
As you read through it I hope you will learn some interesting facts about this unusual
tower and also some information about its history.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
HOW I MADE MY
MODEL
First I got a long tube
and I a couple of
layers of papier
mache on it. Then I
rolled up eight sheets
of newspaper and
glued them on to
make eight storeys
and I painted it black.
Then I cut out the
shape of the columns
for each storey from
some grey rubber
type material and I
glued on matches to
make the columns. I used a small carton to make the belfry and I drew the windows
and seven bells on it. I used a match and some red material to make the flag. I drew a
map of Italy on a piece of stiff card for the base, and I put the tower on it. I propped
the tower on one side to make it lean.
Some Facts About the
Tower
1. Official Name: Torre
Pendente di Pisa
2. Function: Bell Tower
(Campanile)
3. Years Built: 1173 1350
4. Original Architect:
Bonanno Pisano
5. Height: 55.863 meters
(185 feet) 8 stories
6. Weight: 14,700 metric
tons
7. Thickness of walls at
the base: 8 feet
8. Direction of lean: 1173
- 1250 North,
1272 - 1997 South.
HISTORY OF THE TOWER
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is built in the town of Pisa in Italy.
It is a bell tower seven stories high with a belfry on top.
The architect of the tower was Bonanno Pisano, a well-known resident of Pisa.
The building was started on 9th August, 1173 and was finished around 1350.
When the construction reached about one and a half meters up on the third floor,
because of marshy and unstable soil, the tower was found to be leaning so the work
was stopped.
The restarting of the work took place in two phases, during which they tried to reduce
the slope.
The second phase of the 13th century started, probably, about the year 1272 to 1275.
At the 7th storey some round arch windows for the bells were made.
The belfry was constructed by Tommaso son of Andrea Pisano around 1350.
In 1934 cement was injected into the base and this has been blamed for speeding up
the lean.
The tower was closed to the public in 1990. In 1995, 600 tons of lead were added to
the north side and a tilt of 2.5mm was recorded overnight in September 1995. A
further 230 tons of lead were added after the overnight tilt. Correction from 1990 to
1999 was 25mm and amount of tilt correction from 1999 to 2001 was 43.8cm. The
tower was reopened to the public on December 2001.
THE BELFRY
The completed belfry replaced the temporary one on the
seventh level, where places for the bells are still evident.
There are seven bells. The biggest one is made out of gold
and is called dell’Assunzione or l’Assunta (Our Lady of the
Assumption)
It weighs 7,600 lbs and was cast in 1655. The next one is
called del Crucifisso (of the Crucifix). It weighs 5,168 lbs and
was cast in 1572 and again in 1702
La Pasquareccia (the Easter Bell) is the oldest bell. It was cast
in 1262 and weighs 2,204 lbsThe fifth bell is called Del
Pozzetto, it weighs 1,434 lbs and was cast in 1606 San
Ranieri, a bell from 1735 dedicated to Saint Ranieri, patron
saint of Pisa. It weighs 3,186 lbs. Vespruccio cast in the
fourteenth century and again in 1501 weighs 2,200 lbs and is
rung in the evening (vespers). La Terza (third) because it was
rung at the third hour, that is at nine in the morning. It was
cast in 1473 and weighs 660 lbs.
THE STAIRS
The stairs of the tower are made of marble, as are the walls
and the 200 columns of the tower. There are 293 steps which
start on the ground floor and reach to the seventh balcony.
The large square where the bell tower stands was used once
a year to host a Mediterranean exhibition fair where
merchants from all regions showed their goods. The bell
tower was an ideal place from which the fair could be seen,
and as there were some very important guests, the stairs
reaching the tower had to be well built.
PISA
Pisa is the capital city of Pisa
Provence in the Tuscany region of
Italy. It is situated on the river Arno
near the Ligurian sea.
Its population is 93,303 (1997
estimate)
The city is a rail and road junction, a
tourist resort, and an industrial
centre. Factories here produce
textiles, machinery, processed
foods, pharmacuticals and glass.
The principal landmarks are in an
area of the Piazza del Duomo
(cathedral square) and include the
cathedral, the baptistery and the
bell tower (campanile).
Among the important citizens of Pisa
were Galileo and the sculptors
Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, Andrea
Pisano and Bonanno Pisano.