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Experts have revealed that the Leaning Tower of Pisa, known worldwide for its precarious tilt, it’s now going straight.

The tower’s Surveillance Group, which monitors restoration work, said the landmark is “stable and very slowly reducing its lean.”

The 186ft medieval monument has been straightened by 1.5in over the past two decades, the team said.

Professor Salvatore Settis explained: “It’s as if it’s had two centuries taken off its age.”

Nunziante Squeglia, a professor of geotechnics at the University of Pisa who works with the surveillance team, added: “What counts the most is the stability of the bell tower, which is better than expected.”

Image source Wikipedia

Colosseum of Rome is taking the place of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Back in 1990, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public for the first time in 800 years amid fears it could be on the verge of toppling. At the time, it was tilting by 4.5m from the vertical.

An international committee led by Prof Michele Jamiolkowski, a Polish expert, worked to stabilize the tower between 1993 and 2001.

By the end, the tower’s tilt had been corrected by 45cm, at a cost of $240 million.

The lean is as old as the tower itself, having crept in five years after construction began in 1173.

The layer of clay and sand the tower is built on is softer on the south side than the north – so by the time builders got to the third storey, shifting soil had unsettled its foundations.

However, while engineers may ultimately take credit for rescuing the relic, visitors can rest assured it’s still available for the obligatory pictures…

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Rome’s world famous Colosseum is now around 40 cm (16 inches) lower on the south side than on the north.

Concerned authorities are investigating whether it needs urgent repairs, after experts noticed the incline about a year ago.

Rossella Rea, director at the 2,000-year-old monument, revealed in Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Sunday that officials have been monitoring it for the past few months.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, another of the country’s most popular attractions, was reopened in 2001 after being shut for more than a decade as engineers worked to prevent it from falling over and to make it safe for visitors.

Rome's world famous Colosseum is now around 40 cm (16 inches) lower on the south side than on the north

Rome's world famous Colosseum is now around 40 cm (16 inches) lower on the south side than on the north

Restorers’ efforts to clean off centuries of grime from the Tuscan landmark helped stabilize the historical building by removing soil from beneath one side of its foundations.

“The slab of concrete on which the Colosseum rests, which is like a 13-metre (yard)-thick oval doughnut, may have a fracture inside it,” he told the newspaper.

He said intervention along the lines of the stabilization work carried out in Pisa could be necessary if the concerns are confirmed, but he added that it was too early to judge what kind of intervention would be most suitable.

The Colosseum – famous for hosting bloody gladiator fights in the days of the Roman Empire – attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and is usually packed with visitors.

 

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