An original 2.5x3.5" vintage photo from a collection of photos brought back by a soldier who underwent training in the U.S. and was deployed in Naples upon its capture in 1943, serving there through 1945. It appears he was a medic. This is likely a one of a kind photo.

Photo Overview

Leaning Tower of Pisa in Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Tuscany, captured in October 1945, with civilians and Allied personnel milling at the base; taken by an American GI from a Naples-based medic’s wartime photo set. The Romanesque campanile dominates the frame in crisp post?liberation sunlight, with nearby buildings of the Campo dei Miracoli visible beyond the crowd.

Pisa was liberated by the U.S. Fifth Army in September 1944; during the campaign the tower was reportedly considered for destruction because German observers could use it, but it survived and quickly became a magnet for Allied troops on leave. Period views from late 1945 like this mark Italy’s return to normal life after years of fighting—an evocative blend of famous architecture and frontline history. Secure this veteran?sourced original now before it’s gone; scarcity drives value and hesitation loses treasures.

Text Present

Back, pencil: “Oct. 1945”
Back, ink: “Pisa”

Print analysis: Gelatin silver snapshot from a veteran’s personal set. Period pencil dating to 1945 and lack of halftone dots indicate a photographic print, not a later reproduction. No wire/press stamps present; surface and border style are consistent with mid?1940s fiber paper. Likely Type 1 (printed within a few years of exposure, c.1945–46).

Condition: In fair to good vintage condition. Please see scans of the image we have provided for the most accurate and complete state of the photo.