Leaning Tower of Pisa

Legendary white leaning tower in Pisa’s Square of Miracles

That tilt is genuinely dramatic. Photos don't prepare you for the sheer wrongness of it. Eight storeys of white marble refusing to stand straight, defying every instinct about how buildings should behave.

Construction started in 1173, and the ground gave way almost immediately. Soft clay and sand made for hopeless foundations. They kept building anyway, trying to correct the lean as they went. The result is the beautiful disaster we know today, with curves compensating for curves.

It is part of the Square of Miracles, so perhaps it was faithed this way. You’ll see it’s a prize jewel of the piazza.

If you’re up for it, the climb is peculiar, a spiral staircase pulling you off balance. By the top, you're leaning into the tilt, trusting medieval engineering against gravity. Expansive views across Pisa will reward you.

But fear not, engineers have spent decades stabilising it. They removed soil bit by bit from beneath the higher side, reinforced the foundations and placed counterweights. The lean decreased by over 50 centimetres. But it’s still dramatic enough to draw millions.