The only possible correction mechanism seems to be an earthquake.
Capturing a perfectly alligned photograph vs protraying an actual misallighnment is one of the hardest OCDs to battle.
That it takes just lose soil to shift a construction slightly and lay the foundation for a world wonder is not the most apparent thing in the world, unlike the evident 4.4 degree tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was built as part of the 11th century cathedral complex Piazza Dei Miracoli, and the fundamental flaw in the foundation was realized only after three of its eight stories were completed! Ever since, numerous renovations have been engineered to keep it from collapsing in the face of the innumerable fake sabotages staged by tourists. A fellow tourist's attempt at photographing me trying to give the bell tower a shove also went as awfully wrong as the architecture. So I decided to try this antic in a selfie, and the result was much better! :D
Photography attempt to capture me giving the Leaning tower of Pisa a push gone awefully wrong! But a shove is the last thing this tower needs, eh?
Look at the blunder that became a wonder.
The sweeping views of Pisa from the belfry on top, help one gain a sturdy footing after a climb that is dizzyingly vertigineous. But the rumour that Galileo Galilei could endure this several times to conduct experiments related to the law of free fall, by carrying objects all the way up, dropping them time and again, is certainly debatable! A visit to the tower also brings up another reference from the physics text book, the center of gravity (COG). In the 90s, the tilt of the tower is known to have exceeded 5.44deg, at which point the COG should have shifted significantly enough to make it topple. Yet flouting the laws of Statics the tower stayed boldly upright (read tipped), until another cure was designed, yet again. Perhaps it had something to do with the Italian name of the Church complex, Piazza Dei Miracoli (The square of Miracles), that was coined way before the construction of the tower had even commenced. Such enlightening facts always help restore my faith in God!
The 294 uneven stairs leading to the belfry are sure to give you a vertigo!
Views of Pisa, from the belfry.
The domes of the Cathedral and Baptistry as seen from the Pisa tower. Both buildings are surrounded by stunning arcades on pillars, made of white marble edged with grey. In addition, the two levels of the Baptistry dome, the hemispherical level and another one, shaped like a truncated dodecagonal pyramid with a smaller dome on top are reponsible for its melodious acoustics.
Another building not to be undermined in the complex is the Baptistery. Covered by red tiles on the west, and lead slabs on the east, this 54.86m high, 107.24m wide landmark stands to be the largest one in Italy. It also tilts by an unnoticeable 0.6deg unlike the conspicuous leaning tower. In fact this is the case with most buildings here, due to the sandy, clayey soil of Pisa. The exemplar architecture and acoustics make it both a must-see and must-hear! And besides these iconic renaissance marvels, the retail therapy offered by local, reasonably priced markets, good food, and a stroll along river Arna were a great way to top off my Pisa visit :')
Views from the stroll along river Arna.
The streets of Pisa.
The heartiest meal ever.
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