Garicinda Tower: Italy races against time to prevent the leaning tower from collapsing

CNN
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It has become another “leaning tower” in Italy. Now, after fears grow that Bologna's Garicinda Tower may be on the verge of collapse, a plan has been put in place to save it using the same equipment that supported the Tower of Pisa.

The 48-metre (158 ft) tall Garicinda Tower was built in the 12th century, during a prosperous period in the northern city's history, but after two centuries, it was already beginning to lean. Today, it tilts at an angle of four degrees, slightly more than the Tower of Pisa's current tilt of 3.9 degrees.

Late last year, the streets surrounding the Garisenda were temporarily closed, as scientists monitored the structure for evidence of movement and cracking, concluding that it was “at high risk” of collapsing.

Bologna Mayor Matteo Libor announced on Wednesday that columns and cables previously used to save the tower in Pisa will be deployed alongside modified steel scaffolding to help prevent it from collapsing.

“This will make it possible to secure the tower,” Lepore said at a press conference. He said the Asinelli Tower, a taller building next to Garicenda, might be allowed to reopen to the public.

“In 2025 and 2026, there will be more consolidation and restoration work, which still needs to be planned,” Lepore added.

The city's mayor said it would take “about six months” to adapt the equipment used in the Tower of Pisa to Garicenda, with the cost of the entire protection process estimated at 19 million euros (about 20 million dollars).

Once the two steel column structures used in Pisa are constructed and adapted to the Garicenda, consolidation work will begin on the tower's construction, including the injection of a lime-based mortar mix compatible with the mix used in the building's original construction, according to the municipality. press release.

The cables connecting the towers will then be attached to the scaffolding attached to the tower, a measure that will reduce stress levels at the tower's base.

Although less well-known than its counterpart in Pisa, Torre Garisenda has long been a tourist attraction in Bologna. Its unusual angle earned it a mention in Dante Alighier's 14th-century poem “The Divine Comedy.” Besides, the taller Torre delle Asinelli is also a tourist attraction, with a more modest inclination of 1.3 degrees.

The Tower of Pisa, the centerpiece of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached 4.5 degrees in the early 1990s. Concerns about its stability led to an international effort to prevent it from collapsing, and work has continued for eight years since 1993.

Today the bell tower is a stable monument thanks to those steel towers that will hopefully give the Garicinda Tower a second life.