The iconic Garisenda Tower in Bologna is facing challenges, but fortunately, engineers in Italy have expertise in addressing leaning towers. Although older than the Tower of Pisa, it lacks the same level of fame. Closed for restoration since October, authorities raised concerns in December about its potential collapse.
Bologna’s mayor, Matteo Lepore, reassured that the tower can be rescued using techniques previously employed to stabilize the Tower of Pisa at the end of last month. Specially adapted steel scaffolding, utilized in Pisa approximately 70 miles away, will be deployed at the Garisenda Tower, transitioning it from a “yellow phase” of relative peril to a “green phase” of safety.
The upcoming project will also incorporate pylons and cables similar to those utilized on the Tower of Pisa. According to a city news release, authorities intend to enhance the masonry by employing a “hydraulic lime-based mortar mixture compatible with the one present.” The subsequent phase of the project, slated to continue until June 2036, will involve the utilization of cables to alleviate the “state of stress at the base of the most critical area,” as stated by the city.
During the early 1990s, CNN reports that the Tower of Pisa was inclined at 4.5 degrees. Following an eight-year endeavor that concluded in 2001, the lean was reduced to 3.9 degrees, with authorities asserting its high stability. Presently, the Garisenda Tower leans at 4 degrees.
Standing at 158 feet tall, the Garisenda Tower was constructed in the 12th century at what was once the city’s entrance and was immortalized in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Its inclination commenced a few centuries after its construction. Similarly, the neighboring Arisenda Tower, erected around the same period by a rival family, also leans, albeit at a lesser angle of 1.3 degrees.
Relevant articles:
– Italy Has Plan to Save Its Other Leaning Tower, Newser
– HOW was the Leaning Tower of Pisa stabilized?, leaningtowerpisa.com
– WHAT Materials is the Leaning Tower of Pisa made of?, leaningtowerpisa.com
– WHY the Leaning Tower of Pisa does not Fall? – Educator.com Blog, educator.com