World Heritage #0395 – Pisa

Last modified 30.10.2022 | Published 18.08.1991Italy, Southern Europe, World Heritage Sites

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In the Italian town of Pisa, the Piazza del Duomo is a World heritage site. The “campanile” of Pisa is probably one of the world’s most photographed structures. Reason? It is leaning.

The UNESCO World Heritage List includes more than a thousand properties with outstanding universal value. They are all part of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

Official facts

  • Full name of site: Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
  • Country: Italy
  • Date of Inscription: 1987
  • Category: Cultural site

UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre’s short description of site no. 395:

“Standing in a large green expanse, Piazza del Duomo houses a group of monuments known the world over. These four masterpieces of medieval architecture – the cathedral, the baptistry, the campanile (the ‘Leaning Tower’) and the cemetery – had a great influence on monumental art in Italy from the 11th to the 14th century.”

My visit

Pisa is more than the Leaning Tower, but the tower has certainly helped in making this city so famous. It is fascinating how an engineering failure continues to draw such huge crowds every year. Me too, back in 1991. Beware though, that this heritage site include more structures around the Piazza.

Read more about my visit. 

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