ok so plot twist: the leaning tower of pisa has a sibling and it lives in niles, illinois built in 1934 — not as a tourist trap, but as part of a park for employees of a local italian community center. legit. the guy behind it was robert ilg, a businessman who basically said “what if we brought pisa to the midwest” and… he did. it’s half the size of the real one, and yes, it actually leans. they even restored it in the 90s and made it a historic landmark. now it just chills off touhy avenue like some weird fever dream of europe. if you’re into lowkey strange americana with actual history behind it, this is your spot. leaningtowerofniles