ILLUSTRATION: SOL 90, ALAMY X2, GETTY X2, REX FEATURES X1
THE TOWER OF PISA
Construction on the Tower of Pisa, which began in 1173, had reached only the third storey when architects noticed that the white-marble campanile (bell tower) was leaning. Before serious attempts could be made to correct it, war broke out between the Italian city states so building was halted for over a century. It wouldn’t be until the late-14th century that the tower was finally completed, but nothing had managed to right the lean. Today, following extensive work, the Tower of Pisa is safe from toppling, but it will never stand fully straight – not that the millions of tourists who visit it every year would want it to...
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January 2016
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