Leaning Tower of Pisa
by Jill Love
Title
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Artist
Jill Love
Medium
Photograph - Photographic Art
Description
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a bell tower that was constructed of marble and stone. Construction began in 1173 and was completed in 1372. The arcihtect was Bonanno Pisano.
It is approximately 183 feet tall. It weighs approximately 16,000 tons, thus creating the problem of it being so heavy that the soft ground could not sustain it. It began leaning already in the 12th century and worsened upon completion in the 14th century. By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees. So between 1993 and 2001, through a joint effort to stabilize the tower, the tilt was reduced to 3.97 degrees. Pisa did not want it to be made completely straight because it would lose its historical significance and tourists wouldn’t flock to the site. The tower was closed for almost a decade while stabilization took place. It has now been declared stable for at least another 200 years.
Surface restoration has taken place since stabilization was completed, as the majority of the tower is marble and some of it has blackened and cracked. You can see that one of the floors is being restored here in this image.
Ironically, what almost destroyed the tower also saved it. There have been four major earthquakes since it was built. All four did not affect the tower because of the softness of the ground together with the height and stiffness of the bilding creating a dynamic soil-struture interaction such that the tower does not resonate with ground motion.
It is truly amazing to witness in person. It is about 51 miles west of Florence so it’s perfect for a day trip. The town is very small but has quaint gift shops. The countryside is beautiful as well.
This image is copyright protected by Jill Love and can be viewed and purchased at Jill-Love.pixels.com. Thank you for visiting! I'd be honored if you'd leave a comment.
Thank to the FAA Group Administrators for featuring this image in the following groups:
Uploaded
April 23rd, 2020
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Viewed 276 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/25/2024 at 7:57 AM
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Tatiana Travelways
Congratulations - Your beautiful artwork has been featured in the "Travel Art" gallery at Fine Art America! For further promotion, you can post it to the specific Travel Destinations galleries, our Facebook group and our Pinterest board - all the links are provided on our group's homepage.
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