Italy

Capri Island

Cinque Terre

Florence

Milan

Naples

Pisa

Rome

Siena

Vatican City

Venice

Pisa  lies, now, 13 kilometers from the sea, but for much  of the middle ages Pisa's powerful navy ensured its  dominance of the western Mediterranean.

Pisa  participated in the first crusade with 12 ships and  founded numerous merchant colonies in the east, expanding  its commercial empire. The decline began in the 13th and 14th centuries caused by the continues clashes on land with its neighbors, Lucca and Florence and on sea with its rivals Genoa and Venice

Leaning Tower - Construction started in 1174 by Bonanno

The decoration is related to the façade of the cathedral, with its blind and open arches and columns cap with cornices set in a circular pattern for each level of the tier. After various interruptions, Tommaso Pisano around the middle of 14th century finished the tower with the present belfry.

At first the tower must simply have sunk down into the ground, but later began to lean on its side, possibly due to poor soil condition to support the weight of the structure, resulting in a difference of 16 feet between the base and the top.