Leaning Tower of Pisa

          The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a piece of architecture well known throughout the world. It is supposed to be a bell tower of the cathedral in the Italian city of Pisa (. The construction began in August of the year 1173. The tower was completed in the mid 1300s, about two thousand years later due to the construction being interrupted by wars and debt. The architect of the famous tower is not known for sure, but there are many speculations about potential people. Bonanno Pisano, Gherardo di Gherardo, Giovanni Pisano, and Giovanni di Simone are all architects that have worked on the tower; none of them were the original architect of the work. Aside from that, hey call it the leaning tower because it is unintentionally tilted. When it was being built, it was constructed on top of soft ground. Soft ground consists of sand, clay, and shells. The tower began to lean after the third floor was built, and the soil underneath began to shift. Due to this soil issue, the foundation became unstable. It is said that the tower is not only tilted, but it is falling at about two millimeters per year. Today the Leaning Tower of Pisa still stands and is now a tourist attraction.

            The first theme of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is the comparison of expectation to reality. In no way, shape, or form was the tower built with a tilt; it was supposed to be a normal bell tower. When the tower was first leaning, the engineers did everything they could to stop it from leaning. Even with all the efforts to prevent the tilt, the engineers failed and the tower is now at a complete tilt. This piece of architecture shows that expectations will never accurately predict reality. Even with actions to prevent any mishaps, mishaps are bound to happen. The second theme is attraction to the different. Speaking generally, it is only a bell tower. Tourists and people do not focus on that, they only pay attention to the lean. No other bell tower is as famous as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. People focus on the difference in objects. There is even a replica of the tower made in the United States. The obsession with the one flaw basically defines the whole piece of architecture. The difference in this tower compared to other bell towers can be compared to people trying not to be in the “norm”. Everyone wants to be unique to get the attention of others. The Leaning Tower is accomplishing all of this except that it is not a person.

         

        I find the Leaning Tower of Pisa beautiful due to my childhood fascination. I would always drive by the one near Village Crossing in Skokie and would be fascinated in how it stood. How can something that is so unstable stand strong? In a way, to me it represents hope. Everything about the tower is most likely going to result in the fall of it, but it stands against all the odds. It is inspiring, fascinating, and captivating. I also love the tower because the perspective. If you tilt you head the same amount then it is not so weird. I love that depending on the way you look at it completely changes the reputation of the whole thing. Maybe it isn’t the tower that is tilted- maybe it is the world. Sitting there and speculating about the tower really gets to me. Maybe my perspective can be changed that easily with other issues. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is beautiful to me because it’s whole history and result can be so relatable to a normal person. Do I sound crazy? I find myself relating to a tower! The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a flaw that is praised around the world.