It became another “Leaning Tower” of Italy. Now, with fears mounting that Bologna’s Garisenda Tower is on the verge of collapse, plans are being made to save it using the same equipment that supported the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was done.
The 48-meter (158-foot) Garisenda Tower was built in the 12th century during the boom period of the northern city’s history, but it was already starting to lean two centuries later. Currently, the tower is tilted at an angle of 4 degrees, which is only slightly greater than the current tilt of the Tower of Pisa at 3.9 degrees.
Late last year, roads around Garisenda were temporarily closed as scientists monitored the structure for evidence of movement and cracks and concluded it was at “high risk” of collapse.
Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore announced on Wednesday that pylons and cables previously used to preserve the Tower of Pisa will be deployed, along with adapted steel scaffolding to prevent destruction.
“This will allow us to ensure the safety of the tower,” Lepore said at a press conference. He said the Asinelli Tower, the tall structure next to Garisenda, could be reopened to the public.
Due to fears of the tower collapsing, access to the area around the base of the tower was prohibited. (Michelle Rapini/Getty Images via CNN News Source)
“Further consolidation and restoration work will take place in 2025 and 2026, but that still needs to be planned,” Lepoli added.
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The mayor said it would take “approximately six months” to adapt the equipment used at the Leaning Tower of Pisa to Garisenda, and that the entire safeguarding operation would cost an estimated €19 million (approximately US$20 million). .
Once the two pylon structures used in Pisa were erected in Garisenda and fitted, strengthening work on the masonry of the towers included injection of a lime-based mortar mixture compatible with that used in the original construction of the buildings. will begin, a release reported by the municipality’s news agency.
The cables connecting the tower to the scaffolding attached to the tower are then tightened, a step that reduces stress levels at the base of the tower.
Although less well-known than Pisa, the Garisenda Tower has long been a popular tourist attraction in Bologna. Due to its unusual angle, it was mentioned by Dante in the 14th century in his Aligar poem “Divine Comedy”. In addition, the taller Asinelli Tower is also a tourist attraction, with a modest inclination of 1.3 degrees.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, the centerpiece of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached a tilt of 4.5 degrees in the early 1990s. Concerns about its stability led to an international effort to stop it from tipping over, starting in 1993 and lasting eight years.
Today, the bell tower is a stable monument, mainly thanks to the steel tower, which is expected to breathe a second life into the Garisenda Tower.
