'Leaning tower' in Italy on 'high alert' for collapse

[usonian]

Last edited Sat Dec 2, 2023, 02:01 PM - Edit history (2)

See below, there are eight (or more) leaning towers in Italy!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/bologna-garisenda-leaning-tower-collapse/index.html



Julia Buckley, CNN
Published 12:23 PM EST, Fri December 1, 2023

It’s the ‘leaning tower’ that has stood tipsily – but steadily – for nearly 1,000 years. But now, the days of the Garisenda tower in Bologna, Italy, could be numbered. Following investigations last month, the city is instigating a civil protection plan for the “sudden and unexpected collapse of the tower,” which has dominated the Bologna skyline since the 12th century.

A protective metal cordon will be erected to “contain debris resulting from a possible collapse, to reduce the vulnerability of surrounding buildings and the exposure to the population, as well as blocking access to the off-limits area,” the city council said in a statement.

...

Gradual disintegration of the rock attached to the base, as well as vertical cracks in the bricks that make up the tower, have been noted since 2020 but have now worsened.

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The council spokesperson said that once the cordon has been installed, new research will be undertaken in two phases: first to find a solution to stabilize the tower, and then to resolve the underlying problem.

More discussion and pictures at the link.

EDIT: In response to questions about leaning towers, there are apparently EIGHT of them in Italy!!
https://www.travelawaits.com/2678088/leaning-towers-italy/
Beyond Pisa: 7 Other Italian Leaning Towers Worth A Visit

When I travel, I often do so with a theme. For example, I try to find the best wine bars in a location, or the cutest museums, or the best sunsets. On one of my many trips to Italy, the “theme” was leaning towers. Who hasn’t heard of the most famous one, the leaning tower of the beautiful city of Pisa? But, as I discovered, there are several more leaning towers all over Italy, in such spectacular places as Rome, Venice, and Bologna.

Whatever the reason, these towers, most of them bell towers, aren’t standing up straight, whereas churches and palaces are, is a puzzle. Still, all of them are worth a visit and so are the cities they stand in. And yes, all of them, as inclined as they may be and sinking deeper every year, are still standing and waiting for you to take a look and wonder at their resilience.

Wikipedia lists 12.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaning_towers
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