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.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
HOW
I MADE MY MODEL
First I got a long tube and I a couple of layers of paper 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.