You’ve seen the photos. Everyone has. Thousands of tourists every year pretend to hold up that tilting white marble cylinder in the Piazza dei Miracoli. But honestly, if you ask most people when is the Leaning Tower of Pisa built, they usually guess a decade or two. Maybe they think it was a single construction project that just went a bit sideways.
The truth is way weirder. It took almost 200 years.
Imagine starting a home renovation today and your great-great-great-great-grandchildren being the ones to finally hang the curtains. That is basically the vibe of the Tower of Pisa. It wasn't just a building project; it was a saga of war, ego, accidental physics, and some of the most stubborn architects in human history.
The Day the Digging Started
It all kicked off on August 9, 1173.
Pisa was a big deal back then. It was a maritime powerhouse, flush with cash from military victories, and the city leaders wanted a bell tower (a campanile) that would make their rivals in Florence and Venice look like they were living in the sticks. They had already built the Cathedral and the Baptistery. The tower was meant to be the final jewel in the crown.
The foundation was laid, and for about five years, things were going great. The builders reached the third floor. Then, the ground gave up.
The name "Pisa" actually comes from a Greek word meaning "marshy land." You’d think someone would have checked the soil density before stacking tons of Carrara marble on it. The foundation was only three meters deep, set into a pathetic mix of clay, fine sand, and shells. By 1178, the tower began its infamous southern tilt.
Then, construction stopped. Not because they were worried about the lean, but because Pisa got into a massive fistfight with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence.
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Why the Delay Saved the Tower
If they had kept building in 1178, the tower would have definitely toppled. No question about it.
Because the work stopped for nearly a century due to constant warfare, the soil underneath had time to settle. The weight of the first three stories actually compressed the clay, making it just strong enough to support more weight later. It’s one of those "task failed successfully" moments in history.
When construction finally resumed in 1272 under the direction of Giovanni di Simone, the engineers tried to fix the lean by making the new floors taller on the short side.
It didn't work. It just made the tower curved. If you look closely at the structure today, it’s not actually a straight line; it’s shaped like a banana. They managed to add three more floors before—you guessed it—another war broke out. The Battle of Meloria in 1284 halted things again.
Finishing the Job in the 14th Century
By the time we get to the final stretch, we're looking at the year 1319. That’s when the seventh floor was finished. The actual bell-chamber, the very top part where the heavy bells sit, wasn't added until around 1372.
So, to answer when is the Leaning Tower of Pisa built, you have to look at three distinct phases:
- 1173–1178: The ill-fated beginning.
- 1272–1284: The "let's make it a banana" phase.
- 1319–1372: The final push and the addition of the bells.
By the time Tommaso di Andrea Pisano finished the bell-chamber, the tower was leaning at a precarious angle, but it was finally "done." Except, as any engineer will tell you, a building like this is never really finished. It’s a living, breathing problem.
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The Mystery of the Architect
Who actually designed it? We aren't 100% sure.
For a long time, people credited Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano. Bonanno was a famous bronze caster in the 12th century, and a piece of cast bearing his name was found at the foot of the tower in 1820. But modern historians, including some experts from the University of Pisa, have also pointed toward Diotisalvi, the guy who designed the Baptistery. The styles are similar, but the records from the 1100s are, understandably, a bit spotty.
How It Survived World War II
It's a miracle the tower is even standing. During World War II, the U.S. Army suspected the Germans were using the tower as an observation post.
Leon Weckstein, an American soldier, was tasked with scouting the area. He had the authority to call in an artillery strike to level any building where snipers or observers might be hiding. He looked at the tower through his binoculars, saw its beauty, and hesitated. A sudden shell attack by the Germans forced the Americans to retreat before he could make the call. The tower was spared simply because a soldier thought it was too pretty to blow up.
The Modern Fix: 1990 to Today
By 1990, the tower was leaning at 5.5 degrees. Computers predicted it would fall over if the wind blew too hard on a Tuesday.
The Italian government closed it to the public and brought in a team led by Professor John Burland, a soil mechanics expert. They didn't try to make it straight—people pay to see the lean, after all—but they needed to stop it from falling. They tried lead weights. They tried "ground freezing."
What finally worked was "soil extraction." They carefully drilled out 38 cubic meters of dirt from under the high side (the north side). It worked perfectly. The tower sank back toward the north, reducing the tilt by about 15 inches.
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Today, the tower is stable. For the first time in its 800-year history, it has stopped moving. Engineers say it's safe for at least another 200 to 300 years.
Visiting the Tower Today
If you’re planning to go, don't just stand in the grass and take the "holding the tower" photo. Go inside.
Climbing the 251 steps is a disorienting experience. Because of the tilt, you feel like you’re being pushed into the wall on one flight and then falling away from it on the next. It’s a trip. You can feel the history in the marble—the dips in the steps worn down by millions of feet over eight centuries.
Key things to remember for your visit:
- Book in advance. They only let a certain number of people up at a time. If you show up at noon without a ticket, you're out of luck.
- Leave the bags. You aren't allowed to take anything up the tower with you. There are lockers nearby, so use them.
- The climb is narrow. If you’re claustrophobic, think twice. There isn't a lot of "passing room" on those medieval stairs.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think the lean was a mistake that happened centuries later. Nope. It started before they even finished the third floor.
People think it’s the only leaning tower in Pisa. Also nope. Because of the crappy soil in the city, the bell tower of the Church of St. Nicola and the tower at the Church of San Michele degli Scalzi are both leaning too. The "Leaning Tower" just happens to be the most photogenic of the bunch.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a testament to human stubbornness. Anyone with common sense would have stopped building in 1178. But the Pisans kept going. They fought wars, waited out centuries, and eventually created a global icon out of a massive engineering failure.
To experience the tower properly, start by visiting the Opera della Primaziale Pisana website to secure your timed entry tickets at least 20 days in advance. Once there, spend time in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo to see the original sculptures and understand the artistic context of the 12th century before you make the climb. Don't just look at the tilt; look at the resilience of a building that refused to fall down.