Italy’s other leaning tower is at risk of collapse after scientists listening for cracking sounds in the stonework declared it potentially unsafe.
Bologna’s Garisenda Tower, one of a pair built 900 years ago, is feared to be shifting so much that it has been closed to members of the public.
The tower now stands 48 metres (157 feet) tall, with a leaning overhang of four degrees, almost as much as the tilt of its more famous rival the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Now scientists say they have recorded “anomalous oscillations” from special sensors on the tower’s walls and foundations.
Experts called in to save the tower believe its weak foundations of terracotta and river pebbles may be further sinking and shifting.
One way of stopping the slide, according to local media, could be a massive injection of filler material to stabilise the tower.
The leaning tower is dwarfed by the neighbouring Asinelli Tower, which soars to 97 metres (318 feet) without leaning.
Unlike its taller neighbour, the Garisenda Tower was already at risk of collapse hundreds of years ago. They were built between 1109 and 1119.
In the 14th century, the Italian poet Dante noted in his Divine Comedy that the tower had already begun to tilt and by 1350 the top 10 metres (32 feet) had to be removed to stop its collapse.
Now experts and city officials have cordoned off the area around the tower and are diverting traffic until at least 27th November while scientists take readings and come up with a contingency plan.
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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