The kids at the half-way point of the climb.

 You can't see them, but the kids are at the top, right in front of the flag.

 A close-up of the top and the kids. The difference in the height from one side to the other from ground level is 3 feet. There are 296 steps on one side and 294 on the other. If the tower were not horizontally displaced, it would 12 feet 10 inches the other way. The tower construction occurred in three stages and too over 17 years to build starting in 1173 A.D. The tower began to sink as early as 1178 A.D. after the second floor was built. This was due to the foundation only being three meters deep and placed on weak and unstable soil. In 2008, engineers finally stabilized the tower. It was the first time in its history that it was not still shifting. The engineers said it should be stable for another 200 years, unless an earthquake gets to it first. Over the years they have been replacing the original marble that is weaker ad more pliable with stronger marble from out of town. So far, 80 of the 130 pillars have been replaced.

 A number of bells used to reside at the top of this bell tower, but due to stabilization concerns, all were removed except this one.

The view of Pisa atop the tower.