Nearly 3,000 tourists and local citizens flocked to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa Saturday before its scheduled closure to the public for the first time on record in 800 years.
The famous white marble bell tower was scheduled to be closed starting Sunday afternoon because the Ministry of Public Works ruled it represents a danger to public safety.City officials said 2,664 visitors climbed the tower during the Epiphany national holiday. The number of visitors has averaged about 3,000 in recent weeks since the planned closure was announced, they said.
Mayor of Pisa Giacomino Granchi ended weeks of wrangling with Rome authorities Dec. 15 by announcing that the famous tower would be closed to the public Jan. 7 - the day after the Epiphany holiday which ends the Christmas vacation season - for a three-month period.