Italian Officials To Restrict Access To Leaning Tower Due To Safety Concerns

The Italian central government has criticized the local administration for failing to maintain the building.

Bologna, a city in northern Italy, shuttered a medieval tower over the weekend due to safety concerns. Because of the building's shaky foundations, it has been closely monitored for months.

Despite the fact that the Garisenda tower was already tilting, sensors picked up some 'worrying' displacement. As a consequence, roads connected with the 'leaning' tower of Bologna are also blocked.

University of Bologna researchers are keeping a close eye on the Garisenda tower, therefore the neighbourhood surrounding it has been cordoned off.

The tower, along with the higher Asinelli, is a popular tourist attraction in Bologna and dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The Garisenda, which stands at a lofty 48 meters, is only one of several such medieval towers erected by the city's affluent to flaunt their status. The current tilt of the building is 4%, which is just 1% less than the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa's 5%.

Now that 'anomalous oscillations' have been found, roads have been shut down so that the structure may be closely monitored for signs of instability. A group of experts has placed a pendulum and acoustic sensors to listen for any creaking or cracking. According to experts, the risk of collapse poses real danger to the area.

Numerous interventions have been made throughout the years to correct the tilting of the Garisenda tower, which was truncated by ten meters in the 14th century because to worries of collapse. Yet both mortar injections into its foundations in 2022 and steel bands around the structure in 2019 didn't seem to help.

The municipal council's stance has been criticized by Italian cultural ministry undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni. In an interview with Italian media on Sunday, she expressed "worry" at the observed fluctuations. She also said that the scientists who have been keeping tabs on the building over the last half of decade did not took the risk of collapse into serious account.

“Perhaps there has been an underestimation of the situation by the municipal scientific committee that is in charge of the tower's conservation,” Borgonzoni stated.

The Italian government is ready to provide around €5 million from the NRRP, which is financed by the European Union, for rebuilding efforts.

 

Source: euronews.com