walls.

The eighth floor contains the

Seven Wonders of the World bells.
In my opinion, the building is
lean because it is built on an unsuitable
There are many wonders in this
ground for such a heavy and tall
world, which are divided into 2 parts, the
building. It is only about 6 feet above
ancient ones and the new ones.
sea level and built on a riverbed. The
However, the most fascinating wonder to
underlying ground is made up of layers
me is the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’ in
of sand and clay. The layers are not even
Italy. Why is it famous? Probably
and the weight of the building has
because it leans! It was closed to the
compressed them. Because the layers are
public in 1990, after fears that an entire
not even, as the ground has compressed,
busload of tourists at the top would be
it has sunk more in some places than
enough to make it fall. Eleven years
others.
later, the lean has been corrected a little,
I have read about it in an article
but not completely.
which the engineer says that it will only
Although the tower is famous
be safe at least for another 300 years! To
because it leans, it is an outstanding
me it is amazing because it is not only an
example of Romanesque architecture,
ancient building but also a tower! Where
and would probably be famous, even if it
can we see such a view of a tower? No
didn't lean. It stands 187 feet high and
where except Italy!
until 1990 was leaning over at about a
However, I still wonder why
10-degree angle, the top being 17 feet
those professional architects and
further over than was originally
engineers do not straighten the tower up
intended. It was estimated that the lean
all the way? I guess, if they do so, it
was increasing by one inch every 20
would not be a wonder anymore and
years.
Italy will lose one of the famous
In 1172, a wealthy widow named
locations for tourists. Obviously, it is the
Berta di Bernado, left sixty coins in her
Leaning Tower of Pisa and just wouldn't
will to buy stones to begin the
be the same if it didn't lean!
construction of the tower. It is a bell
tower to accompany the cathedral that it
stands next to. It isn't quite clear who the
actual designer was, but construction
was begun on August 9, 1173. Due to the
fact that the people of Pisa were
involved in a lot of wars, with several
stops to fight, it took until 1350 to
complete the building.
The tower is circular, and made
up of eight floors of limestone and lime
mortar, covered on the outside with
marble. The outside of each level has
columns and arches. There is a staircase
of 293 steps leading up from the ground
to the eighth floor; the steps are built
between an inner wall and the outer