A number of lists have appeared throughout history, each trying to name the “Seven Wonders of the World“. Since “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” don’t do the tourism industry any good, people have come up with “Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages“, “Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages“, and even try to make a distinction between “Natural Wonders” and “Manmade Wonders” and list seven under each category. The Leaning Tower of Pisa appears on some of these listings, so I guess this place is really significant. One thing’s for sure, Piazza del Duomo or the “Cathedral Square”, where the Tower is situated, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The de facto reason why foreigners flock to Pisa.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The customary thing to do— coming up with all sorts of wacky poses.

The much neglected Baptistery beside the Leaning Tower.

There are at least fifty leaning towers — either intentionally built, or tilting due to construction errors and other factors — but this must be the most famous of them all. The Italians sought international help in the 1960s. It must have been a rather tough request, “Please help us! We can’t let the Tower collapse. And no, we cannot straighten it, or else tourists will not come here ever again!”

I have friends who eat at McDonald’s in every city they visit. I’m not like that. But I was craving for something familiar after being away for so long.