The Tower of Pisa does not lean forward anymore
With the typical Italian euphoria, now news papers tell that the tower is safe.
In January 1990, after 20 years of research, the Tower of Pisa had been closed to public to protect it from its inevitable worsening. In December 2001, its visitors could go and see it again. With all maintenance works, the tower got, partly, its verticality back.
Technicians say that it got back almost the same position than in the 1700s, it can stay like this for 300 more years if researches and preventive cares still go on. But visits are limited.
The tower of Pisa started to be built in 1173 and it is prone to various stories and myths.
They say that Galilee threw two different mass cannon balls from the top of the tower in order to demonstrate that the descent speed was independent of the mass.
Various initiatives have been undertaken in order to look after the tower, but without a real success. Included Benito Mussolini, in 1934, commanded to set the tower in a vertical position, by spilling cement on the base of it in order to sink further in the soft ground.
Tags: Italy, maintenance, researche, Tower of Pisa