A.E. Albert: A Writer's Blog

7 Things To Know About Pisa, Italy
by A.E. Albert
@aealbert23

My novel, The Time Sphere, takes place in many settings in history. One if these places is Pisa, Italy.  The main reason I chose it was because a character from my book lived there.  However, I soon learned what an interesting and rich city it is.  

Here are some interesting facts about Pisa:

1. Pisa began it's history has a Roman port. However, due to sand build up over time, the coast is now 12 km away.

2. During Medieval Times, Pisa was one of the four maritimes powers in Italy.  It was not under control of the papal power, but a power unto itself.

3. Pisa is home to one of the most famous structures in the world, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  It is 8 stories high and was to be the bell tower to the nearby Duomo. It's building began in 1173.  

4.The subsoil underneath it was weak and by the time builders reached the third story, it began to lean on the one side.  Construction was halted twice due to wars, but gave the soil a chance to harden.  It was completed in 1372.

5. According to legend, the famous astronomer, Galileo Galilei dropped two cannon balls from the tower to show that the speed of descent is independant of an object's mass.

6. During WWII the tower was nearly destroyed when American soldiers were ordered to tear down all buildings that may be used by snipers.

7. Mussolini tried to fix the tower by drilling a cement counter weight into it's base.  This obviously didn't work.

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