The Leaning Tower of Venice

Pisa isn't the only place in Italy with a leaning tower. As our cruise ship departed the port of Venice and traveled along the Guidecca Canal on its way into the Adriatic Ocean, I caught a good view of the campanile of Santo Stefano:

Venice actually has three leaning bell towers in the archeipelago proper and one more in the adjacent island of Burano. This really shouldn't be too surprising, given the way these centuries-old structures - and the wooden pilings upon which they were built - settle in Venice's unstable, waterlogged soil. Venetian officials were even concerned about the perpendicularity of its most famous campanile about a decade ago.

Santo Stefano's campanile was first built in 1544 but had to be rebuilt during the subsequent centuries. Here's a view of it from its front. At 66 meters, is one of Venice's taller bell towers. It is leaning at about two meters off center, which is apparently a similar inclination to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Its base has been reinforced, but it is said to still be unstable. Be sure to see it the next time you're in Venice, because who knows how much longer it will remain upright...