The leaning tower of Pisa stands at 60 meters tall and leans with about a 10 degree angle. The tower was originally designed to be perfectly vertical but during the long construction process of the tower it started leaning. The tower is a bell tower and when it was built it was the pinnacle of medieval engineering and was most likely the tallest bell tower in all of Europe. The tower has 8 stories and 207 columns in it and is constructed of white marble. Construction for the tower began in 1173 and continued for about 200 years because of a series of long wars. There is a 297 step spiral staircase leading to the top of the tower which is about 17 feet off the vertical of the base. The cause for the Tower of Pisa to be leaning is because of sinking of the ground that the tower was built upon. The tower is still sinking very slowly at about a rate of 1 mm a year, because of this engineers are trying to find a permanent solution to stop the tower from leaning any more than it currently is. It is an amazing site to actually see in person and looks like some giant clumsily knocked it over, hence all the cheesy tourist photos of the tower.
"About Leaning Tower of Pisa." Leaning Tower of Pisa. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
"- The Leaning Tower of Pisa -." ItalyGuides.it: The Leaning Tower of Pisa. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
"About Leaning Tower of Pisa." Leaning Tower of Pisa. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
"- The Leaning Tower of Pisa -." ItalyGuides.it: The Leaning Tower of Pisa. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.