Can you say “whoops”? Imagine that you are an engineer and your job is to build a bell tower for a Cathedral. And I don’t mean a small tower, I’m talking 185 feet (53m) high, complete with row upon row of ornate columns and arches all the way up. What would your boss say if you finished about 1/2 of the tower and it seemed to be leaning off to one side? Based on the outcome of the (leaning) Tower of Pisa, I imagine the conversation went something like this:
Boss: So, how is the construction on the tower going?
Engineer: Well, now that you mention it…we have a bit of a problem
Boss: What would that be?
Engineer: Well, when we selected the site for the bell tower we didn’t consider how soft the ground was on the one side, and I guess we didn’t build a strong enough foundation…
Boss: Ok, what does that mean?
Engineer: It means that the tower is going to end up leaning off to one side, about 10º
Boss: You’re worried about 10º? No one will even notice! Get back to work!
After a lot of work and money, the foundation was fortified and the angle that the tower is leaning was reduced to about 3º. It’s barely noticeable!
We did our best to help straighten things out…
A bit of photo magic? Looks pretty straight to me!
The tower site has more than just the tower itself…it includes the Basilica and the Baptistry, both of which are beautiful buildings.
While in the Tuscany Region, we stayed in a small town called Roccastrata, about 1.5 hours south of Pisa. It was a nice break from the lively action of the Mercato Centrale in Florence. We rented a small 2 bedroom apartment through Air BnB and simply relaxed, caught up on homework and laundry (yay!) and enjoyed the beautiful views.
Exploring Tuscany … I can think of worse places to be in November!
Comments
9 responses to “Once upon a time in Pisa…”
You are right about that, Oliver. While you were enjoying Tuscany, the Toronto area was experiencing its first real taste of winter. So laundry is not a bad thing when relaxing with the view that you have. I guess a bit of downtime now and then keeps you ‘stable-ized’? We are,after all used to 5 days ‘on’ and 2 days ‘off’.
Hi Herta,
I don’t think we are missing the snow nor the crazy pace of life we were in back home. We have our stressful moments but they are much further apart now!
I thought we had straightened the tower when we were there!!!! Tuscany – yes…..wouldn’t mind being there right now…digging out from a snowstorm! It is Canada after all. Enjoy! Doreen
Hi Doreen, we are certainly not missing the snow!
I think everyone tries to straigjten the tower but it just goes back as it was. Gravity being rhe irresistible force that it is…
We will be in Tuscany next March so are reading your descriptions and pictures with great interest. Did you cook Italian when in your apartment?
Hi Chris,
Tuscany wasnbeautiful, though we only got a brief taste of the area. We certainly did cook Italian in our apartment. We went with old faithful, Mikhaila’s spaghetti recipe. http://www.globalfieldtrip.com/italys-yummiest-food/
The girls certainly did a good job of holding up the tower, and your camera did work magic! Great photos and commentary!
Hi Baba, we certainly had fun trying to do our part to straighten things out in Pisa!
Hi, Oliver, as often, I am a bit late, but agree with all the above, your recap of the conversation between Engineer and his boss made me smile and your pictures are outstanding. I like the photo when you put the tower straight. The buildings are so beautiful. All that workmanship. The country side looks beautiful. “Just like the movies” 🙂 XOXOXO’s