The Committee to Save the Tower of Pisa: A Personal Report

No tower in the world is more famous than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the most beautiful campanile in Italy. It stands on the Piazzo dei Miracoli - the place of wonders - together with the Duomo and the Baptisterio with their beautiful cupolas and pillared facades. Construction on the Tower began in 1173. It was interrupted in 1178, after three-and-a-half stories were built, because some inclination was observed. Building resumed on the already tilting structure from 1272 to 1278, giving the tower its so-called "banana" shape. As the seventh floor was reached, construction was again interrupted. The bell chamber was finally finished in 1350. Over centuries the Tower progressively inclined. Its safety was studied again and again by various commissions. Then-Prime Minister Andreotti created a new committee transcending the existing Ministry of Monuments. The new group, Comitato di Consulenza per la Salvaguardia della Torre di Pisa, was charged with finding ways to achieve a final stabilization of the Tower.