24 June, Monday

Photo By: butnomatter.theroadislife

ITALY, Pisa – In a world of perfectly straight buildings, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of tourism’s most enduring symbols. A combination of hefty marble and unstable muddy ground caused the tower to start sinking and tilting at just three stories high, causing a 100-year hiatus in the landmark’s construction.

Later interventions succeeded in stabilising the tower, facilitating the completion of the tower and drawing hordes of curious, easily amused tourists. This turned Pisa – one of Italy’s oldest cities – into among the country’s most visited locations. Today, experts estimate the tower will remain steady for at least the next 200 years. Good news, then. Those countless joke pictures that have travellers taking on all manner of undignified poses won’t be stopping anytime soon.