The city of Pisa is more than a the leaning tower, though its nature is colored with the students - nearly half of the city's denizens are in some way affiliated with the university.

The students provides to Pisa Energy and the leaning tower of Pisa, provides the city charm and texture. 8 stories of granite and marble, it was intended as a bell tower for the neighboring Pisa cathedral. After the first three stories were finished, however, intrepid builders noticed the structure beginning to tilt. This led to the unceremonious discovery that the land they were building on was a dense clay mixture, not nearly stable enough to keep the tower standing. Construction was halted for almost a century before city officials, undaunted by the slight miscalculation in the tower's original design, decided they would finish it anyway. The leaning tower of Pisa Italy, withstood the onslaught of gravity for almost 600 years, before the condition worsened to the point where it put tourists in danger. The tower now exists as both an architectural and engineering marvel, the threat of eventual collapse thwarted by a combination of counterweights and slings.

As its power as a naval base began to decline, Pisa turned its attentions towards scholastic pursuits. Established in the 14th century, the university closed frequently as warfare interrupted studies for long periods of time. But with the birth of Italy, the University of Pisa became one of the new state's most prestigious cultural institutions.

So whether you wish to ogle the leaning tower of Pisa Italy, the hectic marketplace or the domed Pisa cathedral, this noble city is simply waiting for you to take the first step.