The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is considered worldwide as one of the architectural marvels of all times, and has enticed generations of visitors, including artists, poets, scientists. Its elegant white marble structure, its unique design and its peculiar tilt made it one of the symbols of Italy and a very popular international “mustsee”. Nevertheless, the Tower was not originally conceived as a tourist attraction, but to provide the Cathedral of Pisa with the necessary sound-emitting device, outlined in a significant and symbolic form.

The hidden aspects and the real meaning of this amazing monument have been detected by the Author and are explained here for the first time to an international public, completing the latest results of historical research with new hypotheses.

The reader will be taken back to the time when the Tower was built, and will be shown all the characters in the building’s story, focusing on their role in the making of this unique bell tower. The purpose of this monument, its function and cultural role will appear easily understandable to the modern visitor, enabling him to get an exciting insight into the realisation of a medieval masterpiece.

Valerio Ascani (b. 1962, Lucca, Italy) teaches Medieval Art History in the Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge of the University of Pisa. A member of the main international associations of Art Historians, he is the author of several essays, articles and books about Medieval Architecture planning practice, Romanesque and Gothic Architecture and Sculpture in Italy, as well as studies about Medieval Iconography and the reuse and recontextualisation of art works in the Middle Ages.