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Why is the Leaning Tower of Pisa leaning? Was the Leaning Tower of Pisa a mistake?

May 5, 2020February 17, 2020 by Ila

Why is the leaning tower of Pisa leaning? – Pisa is a nice city but what makes it unique in the world is its leaning tower. Pisa in fact is very famous for its square and especially for its leaning tower. Everybody visiting Pisa wants to take the picture in front of this special tower and pretend to sustain it with his hand.

The Leaning tower of Pisa is really unique! Do you want to know more about this tower? Why is the leaning tower of Pisa leaning? Is it a problem? What keeps the leaning tower of Pisa from falling?

The leaning tower of Pisa

The leaning tower is composed of a cylindrical stone body surrounded by open galleries with arcades and pillars resting on a bottom shaft, with the bell on top.

Was the leaning tower of Pisa a mistake?

When the leaning tower of Pisa was built, in 1173 nobody made any mistake. Why is the leaning tower of Pisa leaning? However after a while the tower had caught the attention of several artists for its inclination.

Why is the leaning tower of Pisa leaning?

It was discovered that the ground beneath the tower was essentially made of sand and shortly after the inauguration it started to tilt.

This caused an inclination of the tower which is currently inclined by 3.9 degrees.

Why is the leaning tower of pisa leaning was the leaning tower of pisa a mistake

What keeps the leaning tower of Pisa from falling?

The leaning tower of Pisa has not fallen till now thanks to the big work of specialized workers who acted specificallly to prevent its falling.

The current building is the result of time-consuming reconstruction work, mostly to reduce the risk that the tower might collapse as a consequence of its remarkable inclination.

I remember that in the corse of past years the tower was closed to the public for many years. For example it was closed the January 7th 1990 and it opened again 12 years later. Other times I’ve visited the tower while the workers were working upon it.

Why is the Pisa tower so famous?

Apart from its extremely famous inclination that really seems to defy the laws of statics, the Tower of the Cathedral is a very unusual building and one of a kind.

This is true for the high historical and artistic value of its forms and because of its peculiar location, within that vast and equally unique area that is the Piazza dei Miracoli.

Where is it?

The building is located in Piazza dei Miracoli but far from the Cathedral, between the apsidal area and the south-eastern section of the transept of the Cathedral.

This is an unusual location although this is not the only case as it can be found in other complexes in town and in other Italian buildings. However usually a tower was erected near the facade or along one side of the church.

Inside the Leaning Tower

This stone area accommodates a winding staircase with 293 steps leading up to the open galleries, to the bell on top and to the lower mezzanine ﬂoors. The inner shaft is closed by a vault with a central hole to let light in.

The lower floor, the six open galleries and the bell divide the tower into eight segments that are called orders.

The lower floor is enriched by a round of blind arcades placed on half columns. Under the arcade there is a diamond-shaped compass inlaid with polychrome marble with a raised rosette in the middle.

The solid wall is interrupted by the openings of some narrow single-lancet windows. Westwards it’s also interrupeted by the only entrance door: a rectangular area framed by a lintel.

Above the lintel there is a crescent-shaped arch with an inlaid archivolt. It rests on two capitals as a continuation of the jambs forming a shrine containing the bust of a 14th-century Virgin with Child.

On the sides of the door there are some friezes decorated with animals and monstrous ﬁgures. There are also the unusual ﬁgures of some ships frame the commemorative epigraph of the foundation of the building.

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Unforgettable 1 day in Florence: visit Florence in a day

May 5, 2020December 5, 2019 by Ila

1 day in Florence – You’d need more than 1 day in Florence but if you don’t have a lot of time and you want to visit Florence in a day in this article you’ll find your possible day itinerary.

1 day in Florence

1 day in Florence: morning

how many days to spend in florence palazzo vecchio

Unforgettable 1 day in Florence: visit Florence in a day 1

Use the morning to walk in the city. You can start by Piazza del Duomo where there is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. From there you can go in the Piazza della Signoria.

In this square you’ll see also the David of Michelangelo but pay attention! This is only a copy. The original statue is placed in the Accademia Gallery. The Statue was removed from the square in 1872 to preserve it. If you spend only 1 day in Florence you don’t have enough time to see the original statue. Anyway be aware that this Statue is important not only because is masterpeace work of art but also for its meaning.

The David is a young man who has to fight against a giant. The David was made in fact a few years after the new republic was instituded. This young republic had to fight against giants as it could be the papacy of that time.

Another curiosity is that the David had originally to be placed on the Duomo as one of its decorative statue and not in the square.

After having enjoyed this amazing square we can continue our itinerary of 1 day in Florence.

Go through the streets and find out all the shops where you can buy very cute leather bags and clothes.

Unforgettable 1 day in Florence: visit Florence in a day 2

You can then pass through the bridge Ponte delle Grazie to go to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Passing on Ponte delle Grazie you’ll have a beautiful view of the famous Ponte Vecchio. This is one of the most characteristics views of Florence. A picture here is very instagrammable.

Continue now your tour by going to piazzale Michelangelo. From piazzale Michelangelo you can have an amzing view of Florence from above. When we want something is special we have to earn it and in fact a big effert is needed to get here 😉 … You’ll have to do a long stairway …

… but the view rewards your efforts and then you also have an excuse to have one more delicious fiorentina.

After this spectacle it’s the time to go back to the center and look for a restaurant.

1 day in Florence visit Florence in a day

While you are going back to the center take the opportuninty to go along Arno river …

… and pass on the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

The particularity of this bridge is that there are many shops on it. Here there are goldsmiths, silverware and jewelers.

Afternoon

After having visited the city you can continue your day in Florence visiting his main important museum: The Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi Gallery is big and you have to plan well your time in it.

That’s why I’ve planned it for the aftenoon and not for the morning: the risk is to dedicate too much time to the museum and then, at the end, you don’t have time for all the other monuments you should visit.

In this museum you’ll see artworks of many famous painters and paintings of extraordinay value. So plan well your time and concentrate your attention to what you are more interested in.

At the end of your tour you’ll probably arrive where there is the coffee shop that has a beautiful terrace. The picture below shows what you can see from that terrace.

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Impressive Florence cathedral, Brunelleschi’s Dome and Giotto’s Tower

May 5, 2020December 2, 2019 by Ila

Florence cathedral is a monument you should see when you visit Florence. It’s one of the protagonists of the city skyline. That is not only because it’s tall but also because its light colour makes the cathedral noticeble among all the other buildings.

The facade that you can see now is not the original one made but anyway it’s really facinating. If you want to see how the cathedral origally was, you can visit the Museum of Opera of Saint Maria of Fiore. The original one was removed in 1587 because the Grand Duke Francesco I de Medici dreamed of a renaissance type facade .

Impressive Florence cathedral, Brunelleschi's Dome and Giotto's Tower 3

You can visit the Florence Cathedral with access to Brunelleschi’s Dome and Giotto’s Bell Tower.

Giotto’s Bell Tower

From the Giotto’s Bell Tower you can see Florence from above. The only problem you can have visiting the Bell Tower is that in the most busy times the line can be very long and slow. Because the stairs are narrow they don’t let many people enter altogether.

Then you should remember that there isn’t the elavator and you must use the stairs.

Very interesting is that you can arrive to the very top of the tower where there is the roof. All along the four sides there is an aisle protecteted by a safety net. In this way you can walk in this aisle and see Florence in all its directions.

Usually we observe the Florence cathedral from down to up, instead from the bell Tower you can observe it from up to down.

Florence cathedral: Brunelleschi’s Dome

You can have an amazing view of Florence also from the Brunelleschi’s Dome. You can visit it, go up to the top and see Florence from a balcony.

Remember that you should book the time of your visit to the Brunelleschi’s Dome. Then you must arrive at the entrance 20 minutes before the time of the visit for security checks. You can use the following link to book your visit: https://grandemuseodelduomo.waf.it/en/cumulative-ticket-great-museum-of-the-cathedral-of-florence

For the Florence Cathedral instead you don’t need a ticket because it’s free and not bookable.

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3 Unforgettable things to do in Florence Italy. Visit Florence!

May 8, 2020November 25, 2019 by Ila

Visit Florence – In Italy there is a lot to visit and it isn’t easy to decide which city to visit. Florence is famous in the world but you may wonder: Is Florence Italy worth seeing? Should I visit Florence?The answer is yes for more than one reason. Let’s see 3 unforgettable things to do in Florence Italy.

3 unforgettable things to do in Florence Italy

In Florence you can:

admire art
shopping
enjoy the delicious food

Things to do in Florence: visit Florence and admire art

Florence is worth of a seeing just for the city itself. Its monuments make the city different from all the others. Its old bridge, the white well decorated cathedral, the shape of Palazzo Vecchio and the white famous statues in the square make Florence unique.

3 Unforgettable things to do in Florence Italy. Visit Florence! 5 — Things to do in Florence Italy

Video Visit Florence Italy

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The museums

Florence is worth seeing especially for those loving art. Art is visible all around the city, but the most precious artworks are located in the museums.

The Uffizi

When you visit Florence visiting the Uffizi is one of the things to do in Florence. The Uffizi museum is very important for its history and for what it preserves. In this museum you can find artworks of Raffaello, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Caravaggio and many other famous artists.

A very famous Raffaello’s artwork, the “Portraits of Agnolo Doni and Maddalena Strozzi”, is an iconic painting of the artist. It’s a revolution on the thinking in the world of the portraits.

In the Uffizi are exhibited some Leonardo da Vinci works too. The most famous are: The Baptism of Christ, The Adoration of the Magi and The Annunciation.

The baptism of Christ is an artwork of Leonardo’s master, Andrea del Verrocchio. In fact Leonardo has done the profile of the angel, the shaded background and the Christ’s body.

The Adoration of the Magi and The Annunciation are instead completely done by him. The first one was never completed entirely, in fact the characters in the painting are partially done.

The Announcement is the only artwork entirely made and completed by the artist, it represents the announcement from the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin in a Renaissance palace. It was made for a lateral altar in a church.

The most famous work exhibited in the Uffizi is the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. It was made after the request from Lorenzo the Magnificent. There’s represented Venus in the centre, Zefiro on her left and Ora on her right, while she was giving her a dress.

The unknown meaning of the painting is the celebration of the birth of a new humanity.

Another important artist is Piero della Francesca, who made the “Double portrait of the dukes of Urbino”. The artwork can be dated between the 1465 and the 1472.

The Accademia Gallery

The Uffizi is not the only important museum in Florence. When you visit Florence you should visit also the Accademia Gallery. This is the museum where you can see the magnificent original statue of David made by Michelangelo.

It’s the same statue you can see in Piazza della Signoria in front of Palazzo Vecchio. The only small and big differnce is that in the square where it was placed at first there is now only a copy.

things to do in Florence David of Michelangelo Florence italy — Things to do in Florence Italy

The Statue was removed from the square in 1872 to preserve it. When it was in the square it was too exposed to the dangers. During its history the statue had to be repaired more than one time. The David of Michelangelo is too precious to allow something to demage it. That’s why they decided to move it from the square and plce it in a safer place.

The David of Michelangelo is important not only because is masterpeace work of art but also for its meaning.

The David is a young man who has to fight against the giant Golia. In his hand he has the sling because he’s rapresented soon before his fight. The young man well rapresents the new republic instituted in Florence. The David was made in fact a few years before the new republic was instituted. The republic took the place of the dominiom of De Medici’s family. This young republic had to fight against big giants. An example could be the papacy of that time.

Another curiosity is that the David had originally to be placed on the Duomo as one of its decorative statue and not in the square.

Shopping and food

Art has always a great value but the food and the shopping can make us very happy. When you visit Florence you can also relax and enjoy the food.

In Florence in fact there are a lot of good restaurants and you can have very good food. The salami, the pasta and the meat are delicious and are even better with a good glass of red local wine. The main speciality is the famous “bistecca alla Fiorentina” for those very hungry. If you like truffle there are many restaurants that have dishes with it in their menu.

3 Unforgettable things to do in Florence Italy. Visit Florence! 7 — Things to do in Florence Italy

Is Florence Italy worth seeing food pasta — Things to do in Florence Italy

After all this food you can go through the streets and find out all the shops where you can buy very cute leather bags and clothes. Shopping is one of the best things to do in Florence before leaving.

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From Florence to Pisa easily by car and train

May 5, 2020November 25, 2019 by Ila

Are you in Florence and do you want to go to Pisa for a day trip? From Florence to Pisa there are 2 main options: by car and by train.

By car

From Florence to Pisa takes about 1 hour and half or less without traffic.

If you visit Pisa your final destination should be Piazza dei Miracoli. Anyway you can’t arrive in the square with the car because it’s a pedestrian area. The best solution is to park the car in a car park close to the square.

You can go to

Parkering Pisa – address: Via Vecchia di Barbaricina, 4, 56122 Pisa PI
Tower Parking – address: Via Andrea Pisano, 17, 56122 Pisa PI
Parcheggio stazione San Rossore – address: Viale delle Cascine, 56122 Pisa PI. It’s free!

From Florence to Pisa by train

The train is a good option because there are many and It takes only 1 hour 20 minutes or less. Trains leave from Firenze S. M Novella train station.

Florence S. M Novella train station is only 11 minutes of walking from the cathedral or Piazza del Duomo.

You can find the train times in the Trenitalia website: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

You’ll arrive in Pisa Centrale train station and from here it’ll take about 20 minutes to arrive in Piazza dei Miracoli on foot.

You’ve finally arrived to the beautiful square and you can see its leaning tower!

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How many days to spend in Florence? 2 beautiful days

May 5, 2020November 25, 2019 by Ila

How many days to spend in Florence Tuscany? How many days do you need? That’s a good question and it’s up to what you want to visit. Anyway I raccomend to spend at least 2 days in Florence.

What to visit in Florence

You need time to visit the city itself, the museums and taste the food.

Spend time in Florence during the day and in the evening.

You should spend time walking in the city where you can see the 3 most characteristic buldings.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
The Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria
Florence Old Bridge

It’s facinating to see them during the day and then in the evening. They are beautiful in different ways.

how many days to spend in florence ponte vecchio

How many days to spend in Florence? 2 beautiful days 10

Florence from above

Then you can arrive to Piazzale Michelangelo to see all the city from above. It takes 24 minutes from Ponte Vecchio to Piazzale Michelangelo if you walk along the River Arno. There is also a shorter road but the one along the river is better for what you can see.

Spend time in the Florence museums

You can’t leave Florence without visiting at least a museum. In Florence many famous artists lived and worked such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello Sanzio and many others. The most important museum is the Uffizi where you should spend half a day.

If you want to see the original statue of David you should visit the Accademia Gallery.

Enjoy your time in Florence

In Florence there are many tipical good restaurants so you should dedicate time for your lunch or dinner. The most famous dish here is the “Fiorentina”: it is sold by weight and it could be even 2,5 lb! You can’t eat it fastly 😉

In addition to the food there is the wine. It’s a pleasure to relax and taste it.

What about shopping? We can’t resist to enter in a shop and buy a leather bag or jacket.

How many days to spend in Florence?

In conclusion, you should spend at least 2 days in Florence but if you’re planning to dedicate a lot of time to the restaurants and shopping maybe you need more days.

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Day trips from Florence: find out the beauties of Tuscany

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany

December 21, 2020November 25, 2019 by Ila

Day trips from Florence – Florence is the most famous city in Tuscany, but there is much more to see and many nice cities in Tuscany in this area. If you stay several days in this city, it’s a good idea to plan one or more day trips from Florence.

In this article I’ll give you a few ideas about where you can go.

Day trips from Florence: best cities in Tuscany

Florence is of course the main and most visited city in Tuscany. Anywway there are other cities in Tuscany worthy to be visited. The best cities in Tuscany are the following:

Siena
Pisa
San Gimignano
Porto Ferraio Isola d’Elba
Chieve in Chianti and all the Chianti area.
Volterra
Montepulciano
Viareggio
Arezzo
Lucca

All this cities cities in Tuscany are good day trips from Florence. Let’s see a few of these cities.

Siena

Siena stands out for its medieval buildings made by bricks. The square is famous for the special event called Palio di Siena. Siena is divided in areas called “contrade”. The Palio di Siena is a competition between the Contradas of Siena in the form of an equestrian carousel of medieval origin.

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 12

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 13

This makes you understand what a big influence the medieval origin has on Siena.

Pisa

Pisa represents one of the best day trips from Florence. It’s a city you should visit if you are in Florence because of its main square Piazza Dei Miracoli. The symbol of Pisa is its leaning tower.

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 14

Only a curiosity: Do you remember Superman in Superman III who corrects the leaning tower?

Pisa Italy: Video

Apart from its famous leaning the Tower of Pisa is a very unusual building and one kind. This is true because of the high historical and artistic value of its forms and because of its peculiar location. In fact, the tower is located far from the Cathedral and not as usual along one side of the church.

The Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistery give a unique “look” to this square. There isn’t another square like this one in Italy.

San Gimignano

San Gimignano is very famous for all its towers. From the top of its tallest tower, you can see the beautiful Tuscany.

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 15

San Gimignano videos:

Porto Ferraio Isola d’Elba

You can go to Piombino and take a ferry for the Isola d’Elba.

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 16

In about 1 hour and half you arrive in Portoferraio and you’ll really be in a beautiful paradise.

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 17

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 18

Chianti area wine tour

If you want to admire the characteristic Tuscany hills and taste good wine, you should go to the Chianti area. You can start your tour in Greve in Chianti and continue with Panzano, Gaiole, Radda, Castellina and Castelnuovo Berardenga. I’ll surely dedicate an additional article because it’s very interesting.

Day trips from Florence: Top 10 beautiful cities in Tuscany 19

Viareggio

If you want to relax and walk along the beach, you can organize a day trip from Florence to Viareggio. A wide walkway, shops, bars and restaurants make Viareggio an enjoyable city.

If you instead want very clear water where to swim you need a different destination.

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Video visit Florence: places to visit in Florence

May 5, 2020November 15, 2019 by Ila

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