“Highest Alert Level”: Bologna’s Leaning Garisenda Tower Has New Cracks How Madonna Made Her Fans White Hot in Cologne

Orange fences and tape block the way to one of the most important symbols of Bologna, shaping the image in the historic city center. An unusual sight, but the northern Italian city fears for one of its landmarks: the famous leaning Garisenda Tower is increasingly worrying the city council and experts due to new cracks in the masonry and recently discovered fluctuations.

The experts who have been observing the tower and its movements for years even wrote about the ‘highest alert level’ in a preliminary scientific report to the mayor. The fear of the stone giant collapsing is back.

The two leaning towers of Garisenda and Asinelli are among the most important sights in Bologna. They stand on the central Piazza di Porta Ravegnana and shape the cityscape. The Twin Towers, which rise from the sky like skyscrapers from the narrow city center, have fascinated people for centuries. Italian national poet Dante Alighieri wrote about the Garisenda Tower in his Divine Comedy and later mentioned it again in a sonnet.

Of the two Twin Towers, the smaller Garisenda Tower is particularly striking: it is 48 meters high and has a slope of 3.20 meters and almost four degrees. The Torre della Garisenda was built in 1109 by order of a wealthy family. It was originally 60 meters high, but had to be lowered in the 14th century due to initial construction errors.

Experts cite the foundation and lowering of groundwater as reasons for the tower’s tilt. When the Garisenda Tower was built, several such ‘skyscrapers’ dominated 12th-century Bologna. Influential and wealthy families built about 150 family towers and tried to build their own towers higher than the previous ones. Next to the Garisenda Tower is the Asinelli Tower, which is twice as high and is currently stable.

Leaning towers are not uncommon around the world. The classic among the leaning towers is in Pisa with an angle of inclination of almost four degrees; it is slightly more leaning than the Garisenda Tower. Shortly after construction began in the 12th century, there were problems with the statics of the free-standing bell tower because the ground beneath the foundation collapsed. So far, many rescue attempts have prevented the tower from toppling.

In Bologna, a scientific and technical committee has been monitoring the two leaning towers since 2018 – in particular examining the cracks in the masonry and the fluctuations and vibrations that are not visible to the naked eye.

In October, experts noticed particularly unusual fluctuations. The Bologna city council therefore closed the area around the two towers to visitors. According to the city, the square will remain closed for a few more years. Buses were also diverted because of fears that the vibrations on the road could widen the cracks. Research is now underway into how the factors that lead to cracks can be reduced. An iron structure has already been attached around the masonry.

However, this is not happening fast enough for the experts of the committee convened specifically for the Garisenda Tower. The dangerous situation is strong but also unpredictable, architect Amedeo Bellini told the newspaper ‘La Repubblica’. “We cannot say whether nothing will happen to the tower or whether there will be a partial or sudden collapse.” And if this were to happen, it would be impossible to know “whether it would happen tomorrow or in a month,” Bellini said. The city must take safety measures.

The quality of the masonry is worse than ever due to various influences, says Sergio Lagomarsino, professor of architecture. Therefore, there is no need to panic, but absolute caution. (sda/dpa)