Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa stands in the Campo dei Miracoli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the northern edge of Pisa, roughly an hour from Florence by train. The freestanding bell tower of the city's cathedral began to tilt during construction in the twelfth century, owing to soft ground on one side of its foundation. That unintended lean, now stabilised at just under four degrees following engineering work completed in 2001, has made it one of the most recognisable structures in the world.

Visitors climb the tower's spiral staircase through its hollow marble walls to reach the belfry at the top, where the seven bells that once rang out across the piazza can be seen up close. The surrounding square also holds the Cathedral of Pisa and the Baptistery, making the Campo dei Miracoli a concentrated site of Romanesque architecture unlike anywhere else in Tuscany. Tickets grant access to the climb itself, with timed entry managed to protect the structure and the experience.