Every time I had ever seen a photo of the Leaning Tower of Pisa it seemed like it was all by itself. I was imagining a Leaning Tower in a green meadow with nothing nearby -- well, okay, maybe a parking lot. So, imagine my surprise when we enter the walled Piazza dei Miracoli and I see three large buildings and the Leaning Tower is actually the smallest. The first one you see as you enter the Piazza is the Battistero (Baptistery of St. John) with its dome. This is where people were baptized before they could attend the full Mass in the cathedral.
The building in the middle is the Pisa Cathedral (or Catterdrale Metropolitan Primaziale di Santa Maria Assunta) dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Mother.
The final building is the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, which is actually a free standing bell tower for the cathedral. It is also the youngest of the three buildings.
We didn't go in the Leaning Tower of Pisa but we did tour the other two buildings. The Piazza dei Miracoli (formerly known as Piazza del Duomo) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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