Tower of strength
One of Italy's most famous landmarks, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is undergoing a major restoration operation to recondition its marble and stonework - and the good news is it's here to stay - with experts pronouncing it safe to stand for the next 300 years...
The 56-metre tower in Pisa in western Tuscany dates back to 1174, when Bonanno Pisano started constructing it.
He hit a problem when he reached the third storey as the tower started sinking into the ground, so work was halted.
Amazingly, the tower remained unfinished and sinking for 90 years until it was completed by Giovanni di Simone in the middle of the 14th Century. Back then, its tilt was about half of what it is today.
Today, its unique lean makes it one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Millions of tourist flock to the ancient maritime republic of Pisa, which dates from the 1st Century BC, to climb the tower's 294 spiral steps.
The tower was saved from toppling in a decade-long engineering project in the 1990's.
A whopping 53 billion lire was spent on strengthening and straightening the tower by 40cm, which was the position it had been in the mid 19th Century.
Steel girdles and lead weights were used to haul the tower to its former position. It reopened to the public in December 2001.
Now, the tower is once again enjoying a brand new look, with a major clean-up job to restore the marble and stonework of the rings of arches. The lowest ring has just been finished after five months of cleaning and the rest of the column will now be given the treatment.
Visitors are still able to climb to the top of the 56-metre tower despite the ongoing work.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa may have a tilt of 4.5 metres from vertical, but experts have said that it will happily stand for another 300 years without toppling over.
Picture by dcm684