Leaning Tower of Pisa - Technical Information

Technical Information

• Elevation of Piazza del Duomo: about 2 metres (6 feet, DMS)
• Height from the ground floor: 55.863 metres (183 ft 3 in), 8 stories
• Height from the foundation floor: 58.36 metres (191 ft 47 in)
• Outer diameter of base: 15.484 metres (50 ft 9.6 in)
• Inner diameter of base: 7.368 metres (24 ft 2.1 in)
• Angle of slant: 3.97 degrees or 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from the vertical
• Weight: 14,700 metric tons (16,200 short tons)
• Thickness of walls at the base: 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in)
• Total number of bells: 7, tuned to musical scale, clockwise
  • 1st bell: L'Assunta, cast in 1654 by Giovanni Pietro Orlandi, weight 3,620 kg (7,981 lb)
  • 2nd bell: Il Crocifisso, cast in 1572 by Vincenzo Possenti, weight 2,462 kg (5,428 lb)
  • 3rd bell: San Ranieri, cast in 1719–1721 by Giovanni Andrea Moreni, weight 1,448 kg (3,192 lb)
  • 4th bell: La Terza (1st small one), cast in 1473, weight 300 kg (661 lb)
  • 5th bell: La Pasquereccia or La Giustizia, cast in 1262 by Lotteringo, weight 1,014 kg (2,235 lb)
  • 6th bell: Il Vespruccio (2nd small one), cast in the 14th century and again in 1501 by Nicola di Jacopo, weight 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
  • 7th bell: Dal Pozzo, cast in 1606 and again in 2004, weight 652 kg (1,437 lb)
• Number of steps to the top: 296

About the 5th bell: The name Pasquareccia comes from Easter, because it used to ring on Easter day. However, this bell is older than the bell-chamber itself, and comes from the tower Vergata in Palazzo Pretorio in Pisa, where it was called La Giustizia (The Justice). The bell was tolled to announce executions of criminals and traitors, including Count Ugolino in 1289. A new bell was installed in the bell tower at the end of the 18th century to replace the broken Pasquareccia.