Italy’s got another leaning tower —and this one could actually fall

Journey

By Alex Mitchell

They want Pisa to be the action.

There is another leaning tower in Italy, but this time authorities are worried about a dangerous collapse.

The 12th-century disaster-in-waiting is the Torre Garisenda, which rises to 148 feet on a four-degree bend – for now – in the heart of Bologna.

Last year, the longtime, locally beloved icon was considered at “high risk” of collapsing, CNN reported.

The tilting troublemaker, now off-limits to spectators, stands next to a larger 319-foot structure called the Asinelli Tower – together they are known as the Two Towers.

Earlier this week, city officials recruited scaffolding, pylons and other equipment used on the Leaning Tower of Pisa to try to keep Torre Garisenda aloft, as part of a $20 million initiative.

It will take six months to modify the equipment for optimal use.

“This will help secure the tower,” Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore said at a press conference.

A truncated description of the plan involves running brackets through the midsection of the tower that connect to two pulley systems anchored in the ground.

The masonry work will come next.

“In 2025 and 2026, further consolidation and restoration works will take place, which still need to be planned,” the mayor added.

When they were built in the Middle Ages, the two towers served both a military purpose of signaling and defending the city, while displaying prestige, according to the city’s tourist office.