The Italian government has criticized the local administration for not taking proper care of the facility.
A historic tower in the northern Italian city of Bologna was closed to the public over the weekend due to concerns about stability.
The Garisenda tower is already tilted, but the sensors have detected some unusual and ‘worrying’ movement.
The structure has been under close observation for months due to increasing movements due to its fragile foundations.
“We are working to do everything that needs to be done,” the city’s mayor, Matteo Lepore, said in the city council on Monday.
Roads closed around the Leaning Tower of Bologna
The Garisenda area of Bologna Tower it has been sealed while scientists from the city’s university monitor the structure’s movements.
The historical monument was built between 1109 and 1119 and is one of the BolognaThe so-called ‘twin towers’ together with the tallest of the Asinelli, which tourists can climb.
Garisenda stands 48 meters high and was once one of dozens medieval towers around the city built by aristocratic residents to demonstrate their wealth.
The structure already leans at a four-degree angle, only slightly less than the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s famous five-degree tilt.
Now, the detection of “anomalous oscillations” has led to the closure of roads around the facility to allow detailed monitoring of potential instability.
A committee of scientists installed acoustic sensors that can detect creaks or cracks, along with a pendulum to track movement.
Roads will remain blocked until Friday and the nearby Torre degli Asinelli has also been closed to visitors.
The danger of collapse was ‘underestimated’
Moving traffic away from the area surrounding the tower was not done out of safety concerns, but to allow sensors to record more precise data, Mayor Lepore said.
The Garisenda has been pending for several centuries – in the 14th century it was shortened by ten meters due to fears of collapse – and has undergone various interventions over the decades.
In 2019, steel bands were placed around the tower and in 2022 the foundations were reinforced with mortar injections, but the works do not appear to have solved the problem.
Lucia Borgonzoni, undersecretary to ItalyThe Minister of Culture criticized the local council’s approach.
Speaking to the Italian press on Sunday, she said she was “concerned” about the fluctuations detected so far.
He also suggested that the scientific team tasked with monitoring the facility for the past five years had “underestimated the situation”.
He added that the government will allocate around €5 million from the EU-funded National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for restoration work.
“The government has moved to save the iconic Bologna tower after the city council wasted time,” he said.
Image:Getty Images
