CIA-RDP96-00792R000700450001-1

430
40'
N
Approved For Release 2000/08/11 :: CIA-RDP96-00792R000700450001-1
10º 23'E
Site 750
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Also known as the Campile or
the Bell Tower of a cathedral of Pisa in Tuscany, Italy. It is
part of a fine architectural complex that includes the
cathedral, a baptistery and an enclosed composanto or cemetery,
all sheathed in white marble and archaded in Pisan-Romanesque
style. The tower near the east end of the church is unusual
for both its beauty and for its mechanics of equilibrium.
A
freestanding cylinder, it consists of 8 tiers of round arched
archades. A spiral staircase ascends to the interior.
From
the top of the tower Galileo is said to have conducted his
experiments in physics with falling objects.
The tower was begun in 1174 by
an unknown architect. The bell tower at the top was completed
about 1350. During construction, an uneven settling of ground
caused the building which had a foundation too shallow to
support its weight, to lean toward the south. Its deviation
was accidental rather than intentional as some scholars
thought.
Other towers in the city are similarly though less
strikingly affected.
Through the years there has
been much controversy over the height of the tower and the
amount of its tilt. It is now generally agreed that the tower
is 179 feet high on the northern side and it deviates nearly 17
ft from the vertical.
Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700450001-1