Mistress Rochelle is on a twisted tantrum with tilted photos and pictures of leaning towers in the swamplands of Italy. If this photo, supplied by Anne Higa, inspires you to write a story on the straight and vertical, click on the Pisa Plaza picture to gondola over to the Maven of Purple (Rochelle) for the rules and regulations and how to post your square right over there.
My unholy semi-fib follows the photo.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Title: Holy Land for Pisa
Word Count: 100
***
“Drudo, tomorrow we sail for the Holy Land.”
“Good, Gotto. I’m sick of this damn tower. The world isn’t impressed. Every tower in town leans. Merda!”
“We’ll return with holy cargo from Calvary in Jerusalem for this Square of Miracles. Pisa will be famous. The excursion is funded with riches we took from Sicily.”
“We’ll never be known for our towers, Gotto. What bounty shall make us heroes?”
Gotto grinned. “Fifty-three shiploads of dirt.”
Drudo whines, “We battle for riches. We spend blood-won bounty on shiploads of dirt for a cemetery in a swamp. The tower is a better idea.”
Look both ways.
Historical truth need not make sense.
Mind the gaps in the foundations of towers.
Fame comes as much from failure as from success.
(It could have happened like that.)
About one year after his birth, Galileo was baptized in the Pisa Baptistry of the Square of Miracles in 1565. And yes, it is historical fact. 53 shiploads of dirt from the Hill at Calvary in Jerusalem for the cemetery.
Our Literary Journey 
There’s nothing like a good get-rich-quick scheme
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Speaking of fun intros… You ain’t too shabby yourself.
As for your story that was such a fun read. And right. It could have happened like that 😉
Thanks for the clip, too!
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Thank you, Dale. The photo led me to the history which triggered the story. 🙂
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And you did it so very well. Entertaining as well as educating 😉
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🙂
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🙂
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I’m with Drudo, the tower is a better idea. He can see the long-term benefits.
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Me too, Iain. They managed to do it all. 199 years to build a leaning tower. Now that is commitment. 🙂
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Dear Bill,
The intro is as much fun as your story. And an interesting historical fact. Of course we all remember the leaning tower…and the dirt…well, it’s all schmutz isn’t it?
Now I have to find that movie. Interesting an Israeli should play Galileo.
Perhaps next week I’ll be on the level with the prompt. 😉
Shalom,
The Maven of Purple
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My Dear Maven,
I’ve heard that Jerusalem wants their dirt back. 🙂 I didn’t realize he was Israeli. Learning more every day.
Peace,
Bill
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Great foreword, delightful tale! Well done.
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Thanks, Keith.
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fantastic. visiting tourists from all over prove them right. 🙂
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Yep, the tower’s the way to go!
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🙂
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Fun intro … cool take, I found it interesting.
I think I saw this movie a long time ago. I’ll
have to see it again if I can locate it. My library
has lots of old films. Enjoy your weekend
Isadora 😎
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Thanks, Isadora. 🙂
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LOL I did always enjoy that scene of Superman pushing on the tower of pisa!
Go Drudo… he is not wrong.
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🙂 Thanks, Laurie.
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Truth is *always* stranger than fiction. Fascinating to learn this about the Tower and the area near it.
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Yes, Lisa. And the medieval history of those places.
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Another historical fact to add to my growing store of info about this building. And two entertaining characters to deliver it.
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Google is a historical rabbit hole. 🙂
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