Garizenda Tower (ital. Torre della Garisenda is one of the famous "two towers" of Bologna, located on Porta Ravegnana Square. Unlike her tall neighbor Asinelli, she is known not for her height, but for her extreme tilt. To date, the tower is in critical condition and is completely closed to the public. Since the fall of 2023, due to increased tilt and the detection of dangerous fluctuations, a "yellow zone" of safety has been installed around the tower. A large-scale project to save the tower is currently underway, which will last at least until the end of 2028. To stabilize the structure, the same technologies and steel supports are used that were previously used to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The area around the towers is limited by barriers to protect pedestrians from possible falling fragments of masonry. The ascent to the nearby Asinelli Tower has also been temporarily suspended for security reasons. Initially, the tower was about 60 meters high, but in the 14th century it had to be shortened to 48 meters due to subsidence of the ground and a dangerous roll. Its angle of inclination is 4 degrees, which technically makes it more "curved" than the Leaning Tower of Pisa (3.9 degrees). Garizenda impressed Dante Alighieri so much that he mentioned her in his Divine Comedy, comparing her to the leaning giant Anthea.

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Galina T.

Level 4 Local Expert

One of the two famous towers of Bologna, Garisenda, was built almost a century later than the Asinelli Tower. Garisenda was once even taller than Asinelli. But years after its construction, the ground began to sink under it, and the roll became quite noticeable – almost 3 meters. Therefore, the authorities were forced to "shorten" it by almost half – and they were forced to do it three times. But even today this tower is unsafe, the entrance to it is closed and it continues to be strengthened!

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