What was the Leaning Tower of Pisa for?
There is an update on the status of the efforts to keep the tower from falling over at Wikipedia: Leaning Tower of Pisa. They appear to have removed some soil from under the higher side, in order to reduce the tilt, in addition to the efforts mentioned by Uncle Cecil.
Me? I’m not standing under it, no way. :eek:
In March of this year, I was in Pisa and climbed the leaning tower to the top.
It was an interesting experience, sort of like a fun-house ride. You climb up stairs going around the levels of the tower. With each step, the angle of the staircase changes, pitching forward and back, side to side as you go around the circumfrence. Because there are few windows, you can’t really orient yourself to the outside, so you just feel slightly off-balance and out of place as you ascend.
When you get to the open top levels, the floor is pretty sharply angled, like being on a heeling boat. Standing on the high side is pretty comfortable, but being on the low side, despite the railing, is sort of iffy. To get to the very top, you climb up a small spiral staircase, which is quite clearly angled. The highest level is a narrow walkway above the bells, and is not recommended for those with vertigo.
Yes, I did pose for the inevitable pictures on the plaza where I appeared to be holding up the tower.
All in all it was a cool experience that you should try if you are in that part of Tuscany, and the Cathedral has some amazing art that is worth seeing, but overall Pisa isn’t really worth a separate trip.
[nitpicking the Perfect Master]
Guilds. In the Middle Ages they had guilds, not unions. Same shit, different name.
[/nitpicking the Perfect Master]
What did the Encyclopedia Brittanica say about drawing and quartering?
The Leaning Tower of Pizza!!! 
My answer to a question our third-grade teacher asked (Can anybody tell me what this is?) about a slide being shown about Italy. 
I agree. There is fuck-all to do in Pisa aside from the Tower. But I did have a good time while I was there, however, and I was there for work so it wasn’t like I was paying for it.
I did manage to avoid doing the “propping up the tower” thing.
I agree there is nothing to do in Pisa other than the tower/cathedral. While staying in Florence on our honeymoon, we took the train over to Pisa for a short 2 hr. morning stay, and I thought that was too long (and I’d like to D&Q whoever decided to put the train station on the opposite end of town away from the tower).
Rest of the day was spent in Siena, where the residents were still marching after the Palio. We stayed until well after dark and still wanted more. Trust me, if you have to choose while in Tuscany, visit Siena.
I toured the tower back in 1984/1985, before the repairs and partial straightening. There were two remarkable things:
but could you escape a zombie horde by seeking refuge in it?