Pisa
AA-2026-F85C70
On the image
A woman stands in the foreground, facing the camera, having traveled to Pisa in the 1970s to document her presence at a structure famed for its foundational deficiencies. Behind her, other tourists mill about on the grass, participating in the shared experience of witnessing something historically precarious.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa continues its subtle, multi-century tilt, a monument to the enduring human capacity for both architectural ambition and miscalculation. It stands next to the grand Pisa Cathedral, which, being plumb, rarely attracts as much attention from the camera lenses.
This snapshot captures a moment before advanced stabilization efforts were widely implemented, where the tower's famous lean was simply part of its charm. It's a testament to a time when travel was less about perfect selfies and more about simply proving you were there, absorbing the historical oddity.
The historian's note
The photograph features the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) and a portion of the Pisa Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa), located in the Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa, Italy. The Leaning Tower, a campanile, began construction in 1173 and is renowned for its unintentional tilt, caused by an inadequate foundation on soft subsoil.
The Pisa Cathedral, a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is a significant example of Pisan Romanesque architecture. Both structures are integral components of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles).
During the 1970s, the Leaning Tower remained a major tourist destination, despite growing concerns regarding its structural stability. Significant restoration and stabilization projects to reduce the lean and prevent collapse would begin in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
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Leaning Tower of Pisa and Duomo, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-F85C70. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/leaning-tower-of-pisa-and-duomo-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026F85C70,
title = {Leaning Tower of Pisa and Duomo, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-F85C70},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/leaning-tower-of-pisa-and-duomo-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Leaning Tower of Pisa and Duomo, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-F85C70 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/leaning-tower-of-pisa-and-duomo-1970s ER -
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