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The city of Pisa existed during Etruscan and Roman times but only reached its height during the Middle Ages, when it was one of the four Marine Republics of Italy, along with Genoa, Amalfi and Venice. During this time the city was an important commercial center and controlled a large Mediterranean fleet of ships. Its decline began in the early 13th century when it was defeated by Genoa in the naval Battle of Meloria, in 1284. Although Pisa tried to rebuild its power in the 14th century it was eventually conquered by Florence in 1406, and held under its power until 1509. Pisa’s independence was eventually achieved and it was chosen to host the spoils of Henry, King of Germans, which still lie in the Pisa Cathedral.

The 180 ft (55m) Leaning Tower is the bell tower, or campanile, for the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its construction started in 1173 and continued, off and on, for the next 200 years. For many years it was believed that the inclination of the Tower was part of its design, but today we know that the Tower was designed to stand vertically and started to lean during its construction, when three stories high; attempts to compensate for this during its construction give the tower a slightly curved shape. By the 1990s, the tower was tilting more than 13 ft from the vertical and restoration efforts were made in 1993 and again in 1995, reducing the tilt to 11’8”. The present restoration is predicted to preserve the tower's stability for some 300 more years

Visit Arounder Pisa to view fullscreen panoramas of the Duomo, Baptistery and Leaning Tower, along with a great aerial view of the city.