A Quick Visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa ranks among many tourists’ top bucket list destinations during a trip to Italy. Mention it to almost anyone and they’ll have at least some idea what you’re talking about.
I was no different. It was something I just had to see. However, our itinerary was already filled to the brim with places we wanted to see. Unfortunately, staying in the city of Pisa wasn’t on that list. However, we would be relatively close when traveling from the Cinque Terre to Volterra.
If we did visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we would only have a couple hours to spare. Would it be enough to make it worth it? I couldn’t miss out on seeing this world heritage site, so we went for it. Keep reading to see our exact itinerary to make two hours here worth it.
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Some Background on the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually just one of several buildings contained within a complex commonly referred to as the Field of Miracles (you may also see it called the Square of Miracles). Besides the tower, you can also visit the Duomo, Baptistery, Camposanto, Sinopie Museum and Duomo Museum during your visit.
The Duomo began construction on this site in 1094, and over the years was accompanied by the other structures, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In fact, while most people only know of the tower, it is technically considered a part of the Duomo.
All the buildings in the Field of Miracles were created in the Pisan Romanesque style. This architectural style rose to prominence around the same time as Pisa’s heyday during the 11th century. The style reflects the reach of Pisa’s influence throughout Italy, the Mediterranean and the Byzantine Empire. It has elements of Romanesque architecture with a more elegant feel. You can find column-lined arcades, arches, spires, Byzantine mosaics and Muslim-inspired geometric designs.
In 1987, UNESCO recognized the Field of Miracles as a World Heritage Site because of its cultural significance.
Here are a couple more facts I found interesting about the Field of Miracles.
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa isn’t the only building that leans here. All the buildings have a slight lean because of the nature of the ground. Besides the tower, the lean is most noticeable in the Baptistery.
- Did you notice the river while coming up to the Leaning Tower of Pisa? During Pisa’s reign as a regional power, the Arno River used to extend all the way to the walls here.
My Summary
| Hours | 9:00 – 8:00 Cathedral opens at 10:00 |
| Length of Visit | At least two hours |
| Cost | €20 for just the Leaning Tower of Pisa €27 combined ticket for all the Field of Miracles sights |
| Highlights | The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Duomo Museum, Camposanto |
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Once you adjust your eyes to the gleaming white marble of everything in the Field of Miracles, the first thing you’ll notice is the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
I didn’t expect to be as impressed with it as I was. I’ve seen so many pictures of it I thought there was no way it could live up to the hype. Like so many things, the photos don’t reflect how stunning it is when it’s standing right there in front of you.
Even if it didn’t have its iconic lean, it would still be a wondrous piece of architecture. When I visited, it was a bright, sunny day causing the white marble to almost sparkle. It was mesmerizing admiring the tower’s eight columned levels with their nearly-symmetrical design.
Which leads me to the tower’s lean. I was amazed at how much the tower actually leans! It looks like there is no way the tower should still be standing when you see how extensive the lean is. Builders started observing the lean a mere five years after construction began in 1173. When construction resumed in 1272, they began building one side of the tower taller than the other to correct the lean (this is why I said it’s nearly symmetrical). Finally, the tower was finished in 1350 with the top floor again being angled to prevent further leaning.
Take a look at my other post on Florence’s Piazza del Duomo for more of Italy’s great religious history and art!
Climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The lean becomes even more pronounced when you stand inside the tower. I immediately became aware of it when I walked in. I could see the flat floor, but gravity was pulling me in a different direction than what my eyes were telling me should be happening. It was so disorienting I actually stumbled a couple times before I got used to it.
The most bizarre part of standing in the ground level of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is when you look back outside. The doorway looks back to the Duomo which, of course, is standing mostly vertical with the ground while the floor you’re on sits at a 4-degree angle. It’s a surreal sight!
Climbing the tower was a bit difficult initially because of the lean. I was acutely aware that something was off each time I made a revolution around the winding staircase because of the shifting gravitational pull relative to the steps. This effect lasted till about halfway up when I still noticed the lean but was less affected by it.
After climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s 294 slippery smooth steps, you’re treated to some wonderful views of the Duomo, Baptistery and the city of Pisa. I personally believe these views and the experience of feeling the lean firsthand are worth the extra cost and effort of climbing the tower.
Two words of warning! First, if you have vertigo or any other balance issues, you may want to reconsider climbing the tower. Because of the lean and slick stairs, it isn’t the easiest climb. Second, you can buy tickets on the day of your visit, but you’ll likely have to wait to do your climb. Reserve tickets ahead of time to make your visit more efficient and enjoyable.
Opera del Duomo Museum
The Duomo Museum sits tucked away in a forgotten corner of the Field of Miracles behind the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I visited this next for a bit of reprieve from the crowds and to get out of the sun. It turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the whole Field of Miracles.
There are no top-tier highlights like what can be found in similar museums in other parts of Italy, but it makes up for this lack of ooh-aah moments with its solitude and how well it’s organized. I must have only been one of five or so other people in the museum. It’s a shame, too, because it does have some nice original statues from the other buildings in the complex. It also contains other interesting examples of Pisan art. While everyone else missed out, I enjoyed these pieces of art virtually by myself.
The other aspect of the Duomo Museum I appreciated immensely was how well organized it was. I sometimes get frustrated with museums that have no clear path for you to follow. It drives me nuts when there is a room with multiple entrances and exits! Generally, the Duomo Museum was very obvious in its layout, and I had no issue knowing where to go next. This might seem like a small detail, but when you are on a schedule it is incredibly helpful.
There is one highlight of the museum worth mentioning. Towards the end of the visit, there is a small courtyard offering a lovely view of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Duomo. The view from here alone made visiting worth the time.
You May Also be Interested in: The Best Highlights of Florence’s Accademia Gallery
Baptistery of San Giovanni
After visiting the museum, we made our way across the Field of Miracles to the Baptistery. Easily the best part of the Baptistery is admiring its exteriors. I found its domelike shape and the symmetry of its design to be quite stunning to admire. Its size is also impressive as it’s actually the largest baptistery in Italy.
Another interesting detail found on the exterior of the Baptistery is its roof. If you look closely, you’ll notice there are two different types of tiles used. On the seaward side, there are clay tiles while on the other side are lead tiles. The builders did this intentionally to protect the more delicate lead tiles against corrosion from the sea.
The inside is relatively plain. It’s a stark contrast from some of the other more elaborate baptisteries across Italy. My highlight of the interior is the octagonal marble font in the center of the room topped with a simple yet evocative statue of John the Baptist.
Another interesting feature of the interior that we missed out on is its acoustics. Because of its design, someone can sing a few notes and the acoustics of the Baptistery cause reverberations that apparently make it sound like a chorus.
An attendant will sing notes every 30 minutes to demonstrate the Baptistery’s acoustics. Try to be here at that time if you want to hear what sounds like an impressive display!
Camposanto
The Camposanto was where Pisans came to rest after their deaths. It’s now a peaceful museum showing off Roman sarcophagi, stunning frescoes and sepulchers from local lecturers and members of the Medici family.
Like the Duomo Museum earlier, I enjoyed the Camposanto for its simple design and some of the interesting art contained within. Three of the more impressive frescoes include The Last Judgement, The Triumph of Death and Hell.
Besides the frescoes, the inviting courtyard is the other highlight. It was nice to just stare out into this greenspace to reflect on everything I had seen in the Field of Miracles so far.
Why are there Roman sarcophagi you ask? Wealthy Pisans selected a sarcophagus to act as their coffin upon their deaths long after their Roman counterparts passed away. They were moved here from the Duomo’s exterior when the Camposanto was converted to a museum.
More Italy Content: Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, Venice’s Hidden Gem
The Duomo
Finally, our tour ended with touring the Duomo’s interiors. The interior is beautiful and has several highlights, but the exterior is the highlight of this grand building. Make sure you take plenty of time walking around the Duomo to see how intricate and opulent the design is.
There is a lot to see inside, too, but it only takes around 15 minutes to visit because it’s fairly compact. My favorite things were the apse and the mural painted on the interior of the transept’s dome. The apse contains a fabulous mosaic of Christ Pantocrator as well as some lovely smaller paintings. Inside the dome is an incredible painting showing the Assumption of Mary.
Another interesting object in the Duomo is Galileo’s Lamp hanging from the ceiling. The lamp itself is interesting due to its size. Its main draw is in its historical significance, though. Legend says that observing this lamp swinging was how Galileo began forming his theories on how the universe works.
Other highlights of the Duomo include St Ranieri’s body, Emperor Henry VII’s tomb, the bronze doors of St Ranieri (the originals are in the Duomo Museum) and Giovanni Pisano’s pulpit.
So, Was it Worth it for Only Two Hours?
Definitely. There were a couple times it felt a little rushed, but generally the two hours went by perfectly. I was able to see and do everything I wanted without feeling stressed or like I was merely ticking off boxes.
You can certainly take more time, but if your itinerary is like ours, seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa in two hours is doable. The only things I could have used a bit more time in were the Duomo and the museum. Still, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything in either place.
With more time, you could also visit the Sinopie Museum. This museum holds the original sketches used to guide the creation of the Camposanto’s frescoes. If you’re an artist, you may want to either set aside more time for this museum or plan for a longer visit. If not, you can skip it like we did.
Pisa makes for an excellent stop when traveling to or from the Cinque Terre. You can read more about our time along the Cinque Terre coast here!
Field of Miracles Time Allotment
To make our 2-hour itinerary work, the approximate times we spent at each attraction are listed below.
- 45 minutes at the Leaning Tower of Pisa (15 minutes spent waiting and then you are only given 30 minutes for the climb)
- 30 minutes in the Duomo Museum
- 10 minutes in the Baptistery
- 20 minutes in the Camposanto
- 15 minutes in the Duomo
If you’re visiting Pisa as a day trip from Florence, be sure to read my Florence itinerary to learn what to see and do!
Frequently Asked Questions for the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Ticketing Info for the Leaning Tower of Pisa
There are several ticket options for visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the other sights in the Field of Miracles. Further, entering the Field of Miracles itself and visiting the inside of the Duomo are both free.
The best value is the combined ticket which gives access to all the sights including the climb up the tower for €27. If you are not interested in climbing the tower but still want to see everything else, there’s another combined ticket for €10.
Not interested in anything besides climbing the tower? There’s an option for that, too. It’s €20 to only do the tower climb.
Finally, for €7 you can visit any one of the other sights in the Field of Miracles.
Book Tickets Ahead of Time
Regardless of the type of ticket you purchase, it is encouraged to purchase your tickets ahead of time. From my experience, the only thing you absolutely should book an advanced ticket for is the tower. It’s understandably the most popular sight in the Field of Miracles, so you want to make sure to guarantee a day and time to visit.
Everything else was relatively uncrowded. I always recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time just to be safe, but if you decide to visit any of the other sights at the last second, you should be okay.
Getting to the Leaning Tower of Pisa
If you are coming into Pisa by train, it’s an easy walk from Pisa Centrale to the Field of Miracles. There are taxis and a bus stop outside of the station, but the mile walk to your destination is quite pleasant once you get away from the immediate vicinity of the train station.
Drivers have two options for parking near the Field of Miracles. The closest is just west of the complex on Via Carlo Salomone Cammeo for €2 per hour. Another popular – and free – parking lot is a little farther away on Via Pietrasantina. From this lot you can either take a bus from the stop located in the parking lot or the 15-minute walk to the Field of Miracles.
Another parking option is to Google parking lots in Pisa. The two I listed above are the most popular, but there are various other parking options to be found.
Bag Check
There is a strict no bags allowed policy for the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Even Michelle had to step out of line to go check her small handbag.
Keep that in mind when you are climbing the tower. I thought we’d be okay since the rest of the attractions allowed our bags. Instead, we almost missed our reserved time because we both had to leave the line, wait in bag check and then get back in line for our turn to enter the tower.
There is no cost to check bags regardless of their size.
For more help with planning your trip to Italy, check out my post sharing some of my tips and thoughts!
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16 Comments
Mitch - Very Tasty World
We love seeing world heritage sites so can completely understand you wanting to visit. It sounds like an efficient way of stopping by and it looks as though it was absolutely worth it. You’re right, the building is marvellous beyond the lean, it is a really beautiful. I can understand how the climb must feel disorientating but we would absolutely want to go for it as the views look stunning. And the other buildings within the Field of Miracles also look worth visiting. Great post – and excellent practical advice, as ever.
paulpassingthrough
Thank you for reading, and I’m glad you appreciate my tips! It is disorienting but at the same time a pretty cool experience.
RJ
It looks a great place to visit at some point for us. I think it’s pretty cool about all the steps not being level when climbing.
paulpassingthrough
The climb was a really neat experience. We almost didn’t do it, but then I said if we’re there, how could we not? It added so much that just seeing it doesn’t convey.
Lilly
This was quite helpful! I added Pisa onto my itinerary just because I had space (and I will be limited on time as well) so it was quite opportune to see this post. Will be leaving for Italy in only a few days.
Also, this is random but I love your site layout (at least what I can see of the mobile version). It’s very clean and easy to digest!
paulpassingthrough
I’m excited to see how you like it and whether or not you agree with my assessment. Either way, you’ll love it! It’s well worth a visit. Thanks for the feedback on my site. I’m actually in the process of trying to update it a bit, but maybe I don’t need to do as much as I thought.
Christina Trama
Very informative! Thanks for sharing!
paulpassingthrough
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Peggy
Love this, Paul! I am so glad you said that it was more impressive than you had imagined and that you felt the lean when you were climbing! I think it is such a cool, infamous, site!
paulpassingthrough
Even Michelle loved it and she can be hard to impress sometimes when we’ve seen so many in a short period like that. I’d even like to go back to spend more time there to just rest on the field and take in the view.
Carina | bucketlist2life
The leaning tower is definitely on my bucketlist as well. Great to know that you don’t need a ton of time to visit. To be honest, I didn’t know that you can climb it and I’m not sure how I feel about that…
paulpassingthrough
I was afraid we’d be rushed, but except for the couple times I mentioned, it ended up working out really well. I was kind of surprised when I learned you could climb it, too. I guess I thought it was unsafe. The top was leveled out, though, so it feels safe once you’re up there.
Stefan Hacker
So pleased to hear that you love this monument as much as I do. The whole square is one of the most magnificent sites I’ve ever visited. You really did your research. So many things I hadn’t been aware of, like that lamp that makes you figure out the universe.
paulpassingthrough
If only I were smart enough to understand how he took a swinging lamp to be representative of the universe’s ways! Seriously, though, it is a gorgeous square. In terms of just sheer architectural beauty, I’d have to says it’s the top square I saw in Italy.
JamieAdStories
This is interesting. I want to go there one day but had no idea it was so old.
paulpassingthrough
It’s kind of mind boggling to think how old many of Italy’s sights like this are. They’re kept up so well and are so influential that it seems like they’re relatively recent.