Bologna looks to the Leaning Tower of Pisa for tips to stop Garisenda's tilt

Bologna is turning to Pisa, home to the world's most famous Leaning Tower, for help in keeping its own Leaning Tower upright.

< p class=" css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Leaning for centuries on a worrying slope, the Garisenda Tower in Bologna has endured insults and trauma. Dickens called it “sufficiently unsightly,” although extraordinary, while Goethe said it was “a sight that disgusts.” And then there were the earthquakes, the Allied bombing of the city during World War II and the urbanization that doomed other towers.

The Garisenda has weathered it all, a beloved town. symbol of this medieval town, reminder of a past where important families or communities erected towers to remind others of their status and to defend themselves.

But now, the Garisenda is in trouble.

After sensors attached to the monument, which leans at an angle of 3.6 degrees, detected “abnormal movements” the year Last year, alarmed experts issued what was called an "engineering code red."

In October, the Garisenda was sealed off, with barriers bright red protection installed on part of its perimeter to limit damage in the event of the tower falling. , and a group of experts have been working on plans to safeguard it for the future, while watching for signs of impending problems.

"It's like a patient in intensive care, there are 64 instruments constantly monitoring his vital signs,” said Gilberto Dallavalle, structural engineer responsible for interventions to stabilize the 157-foot tower since 1997.

He and other experts called in to try to save the tower have now proposed a solution, turning to another famous leaning tower for the answer. Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore announced the week last that the city would adopt a temporary system of pylons and cables which has proven successful in Pisa, home of the most famous leaning tower.

The map locates the city of Bologna, in northern Italy, northeast of Pisa. He also locates the Garisenda Tower in Bologna, near Via S. Vitale and Via Rizzoli.

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