153 more days...

Photo-taking for Tourists - 101

One of the things that I enjoy to do when I go out, be it a day trip, a visit with family and friends, or a major vacation such as O:PR, is take and share pictures.  Lots of them...  My personal photo album contains just under 40,000 images at this time.

The pictures that I most enjoy are the unique ones.  People letting loose, strange scenes, or something seen from a different perspective.  What photo opportunity fits this bill better than...  (wait for it)


The Leaning Tower of Pisa

First, a little background on the subject:

Original architect:  Unknown (do you blame him?)
Location:                Pisa, Italy
Building Type:       Church complex

The Tower of Pisa was a work of art, performed in three stages over a period of about 177 years.

• Construction of the first floor of the white marble campanile began on August 9, 1173.
• The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the third floor in 1178. This was due to a mere three-meter foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for almost a century.
• In 1272, construction resumed under Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. This made the tower begin to lean in the other direction. Because of this, the tower is actually curved. Construction was halted again in 1284.
• The seventh floor was completed in 1319, and the bell-chamber was finally added in 1372.  There are seven bells, one for each note of the musical major scale. The largest one was installed in 1655.

That is all well and good, however, the real reason that the tower of Pisa leans can be traced back to Andre' Jandini who is reported to have told the original architect...

"You might have to tilt it." *

TOMORROW'S INSTALLMENT:
Photo Taking at Pisa - What not to do

I wonder if I will have to tilt it to get onto deck 13!
Mike


(*) - Ahhh, the footnotes.  If you ever are asked to carry something with Andy Lang, he will invariably want to discuss the fact that "we are probably going to have to tilt it" before any actual work begins.  You can tell him that at this point in your life (46 for me) that you are aware of that fact.  You can explain that you are sure that "the need to tilt it" was sure to become apparent before the object being carried would come crashing into any doorways, but that will not keep him from explaining, "I'm telling you, we might have to tilt it!"

He also likes to read the directions to things...  Out loud...  Loudly...  With EMPH-asis, AND WITH subtle inflections...  But he's a good guy, so we let him slide.