The smaller of Bologna's iconic twin
towers, symbols of the Emilian capital, has been cordoned off
due to increasing oscillations, local officials said at the
weekend.
The 48m Garisenda, which stands alongside the 97m Torre degli
Asinelli in the ancient heart of Bologna, is in a worrying state
of stability, Culture Undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni told local
daily QN Monday.
"The data on the oscillations are concerning to us," she said.
"And perhaps, from the municipal scientific committee that is in
charge of the tower's conservation, there has been an
underestimation of the situation".
Borgonzoni said measures would now be taken to shore up the
tower and make it safer.
She said some five million euros were available from Italy's
massive post-COVID EU-funed National Recovery and Resilience
Plan (NRRP) for the purpose.
"The government has taken the field to save the iconic Bologna
tower," she said, "after the city council wasted time".
The Garisenda, like the Torre degli Asineli, has gone down in
local and national lire and was even mentioned by Dante.
The two towers are survivors of the countless ones that medieval
Bologna boasted as wealthy families vied for bragging rights
about who had the tallest one.
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