Tag Archives: geography lessons

Leaning Tower of Pisa. Intro for children

Dear parent,

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, one of the most famous architectural landmarks in the world, known for its tilt. Located in Pisa, Italy, the tower is actually the freestanding bell tower, or campanile, of the cathedral of the city.

Ice Cream tower

History and Construction

  • Construction Began: August 9, 1173.
  • Architect: The exact identity of the architect is still debated, but the project was overseen by Bonanno Pisano.
  • Construction Duration: The construction took about 200 years, with several interruptions due to wars and engineering challenges.
  • Height: Approximately 56 meters (183 feet) on the higher side.
  • Material: The tower is constructed primarily of white and grey marble.
A fox girl with wings holding the tower by Lizzie

The Tilt

  • Cause of the Lean: The tilt began during construction, due to the soft, unstable ground beneath the tower, which consists of a mix of clay, fine sand, and shells. This ground couldn’t support the tower’s weight evenly.
  • Angle: The tower’s tilt reached about 5.5 degrees before modern restoration efforts reduced it to about 3.97 degrees.
  • Efforts to Stabilize: Over the centuries, many efforts have been made to stabilize the tower, including adding weights to the opposite side and reinforcing the foundation.

Cultural Significance

  • Symbol of Pisa: The Leaning Tower is a symbol of Italy and the city of Pisa, recognized worldwide for its unique architecture and history.
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site: The tower, along with the cathedral, baptistery, and cemetery in the Piazza dei Miracoli, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Tourism: Millions of tourists visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa every year, and it has become a popular spot for fun photos that play with the tower’s tilt.

Fun Fact

A girl standing far in front of the tower, making her really big in comparison by Vivi

The tower was originally intended to stand vertically, like other bell towers, but its tilt has made it far more famous than it might have been otherwise. The lean has become a part of its charm, and today, it’s celebrated as an iconic historical and architectural marvel.

Then we searched the fun pictures and found many cool ones on Pinterest of people holding, pushing, or eating the tower which are super cool and inspirational. This inspired their currect art project. See the pictures I shared on my Homeschool Pinterest board, they inspired my kids Leaning tower art:

Pinterest: Leaning Tower of Pisa. Intro for children

This serves as history, culture, architecture, geography, and language, I strudy Italian so I take any chance to learn and speak, currently I am listening to Italian music.

This was fun for us,

If you created art inspired by this, please share with us,

With love,

Eve