Standing on the square underneath the Leaning Tower, you cannot help appreciating its majesty. It stands tall and it leans upon you.
There is something magic about it.
The entire monument is made out of solid rock. You look at it from the bottom up and you cannot really grasp how much work it must have been necessary to put all that together.
On top of that, each stone is different. There are literally thousands of little details and features sculpted in the white marble!
You are enchanted by its beauty.
Then a question arises...
How does it look on the inside?
The difference between the inside of the Leaning Tower and its exterior is striking.
This difference is one of the components that make the visit to the Tower a memorable experience.
While you stand in the queue at the entrance, you look around and you notice the color patterns in the marble at the base of the Tower.
Couldn't they have made it on plain and simple white marble? - you ask yourself.
They really went a great length to make it look fantastic.
There is literally nothing inside the Tower!
Your eyes stop on the columns. There are so many of them. You don't recall any other building with so many columns... this Tower is sick - you think - ... even though it's so massive, not only does it leans dangerously to one side, it also looks so gracious and "light".
Maybe it is because of the columns?
You try to count them... there are 8 floors, and from the side where you stand, you can see... how many? ...1, 2, 3 ....12 columns.
You do some quick math... 12 columns on your side, 12 must be on the other side... by 8 floors. That makes 192 columns, each one with its sculpted head... and each of those column heads is different.
Man, that's a lot of work!
Time goes fast while you are lost in your thoughts. Before you know, it is your turn to step down from the access stairs and to enter the Tower.
It does lean... a lot
You go past the security check and you step down the stairs to reach the base of the monument.
As you walk to the entrance door, you notice it must be something like... what... 4 meters high?
Oh boy, 13 feet is a little tall for a door - you think while you step in.
You keep moving, and you leave the door behind your back. As both your feet are inside the Tower, you begin to feel it: this thing does lean... a lot!
If from the outside you can SEE that the Tower is leaning, the moment you step in, you begin FEELING it.
It is a magic moment, a different kind of experience, definitely something you have not tried before.
Light versus darkness
While your body tries to adjust to the different perception of gravity, your eyes are still adjusting to the change in the light.
"It is so dark in here" - you think.
The candid exterior appearance of the Tower seems now a distant memory... on the inside, it looks all another building.
You quickly realize there is no artificial light in the monument, and that's why it takes a while for your eyes to make sense of the space around you.
Maybe because of the poor lighting, on the inside, the same white marble has a yellowish tone.
You win the initial wonder and keep moving in with the few people who entered behind you.
Hollow versus Massive
As you walk to the center of what seems to be the only room in the Tower, you notice the narrow stairs going up on your left. "Later" - you think.
The floor is visibly inclined to the right, and walking on it is a very odd experience.
You enter the room, and you understand the tall building is completely empty.
There is literally nothing inside the Tower!
...it is just a hollow cylinder from bottom to top.
But it doesn't disappoint you.
The contrast between the outside and the inside is pretty cool.
You now see it clearly.
The only light comes from a massive opening in the ceiling on the base of the 8th floor... it must be about 50 meters (165 feet) upon your head.
The floor of the Leaning Tower is also leaning... to the right!
The light spills down gently, but it is not nearly enough to brighten up the entire place.
You reach the center of the room, and you notice a thin wire coming down from the very center of the roof.
At its lower end, a heavy mass is attached.
The mass stands about 4 meters (13 feet) above the floor, and the wire must be some 46m (150 feet) long.
It looks like a giant pendulum... but it doesn't move. It gives you the impression that time stands still inside the Tower.
Funny thing, while the wire is attached to the middle of the ceiling, the mass at its bottom touches the exterior wall.
...ou, this is how much the Tower is leaning!
You stand there for a few moments. Your head tilted up to admire that empty beauty.
Details versus simplicity
When you were standing outside, you got lost for a moment admiring the intricated details of the sculpted column heads. On the inside, all you can see is plain flat marble.
It is a striking difference.
For all the work they put outside, in here, everything seems humble and monastic... it really looks like it is another building.
Moving up...
At this point, you are fully immersed in this tour.
You could not anticipate that visiting the Leaning Tower would be such an immersive experience.
"The stairs!" you think... it is time to move on and see the rest.
You make your way to the stairs, and you wonder, "has anyone ever counted how many steps there are to get to the top?"
Do you want to know more?
...keep reading...
HOW many steps are in the Leaning the Tower of Pisa?
Funny enough, this is the only page on the entire internet where you can read the exact number of steps in the Tower... because we went there and counted them! l
WHAT was the Leaning Tower of Pisa built for?
Find out why Tower was built, along with the other monuments in the Square of miracles.
History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Everything about the recent stabilization works and the people who performed them.
All the Facts about the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Answers to the most asked questions about the Tower.
