L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 6 Professor Jamiolkowski and Professor Viggiani: a talk with the two engineers who saved the Leaning Tower of Pisa "It can even incline five steps more without falling": the histo- ry of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is full of anecdotes and legends, which come along with interest- ing researches and studies. One of these stories, from which the quote has been taken, dates back to 1728: when Charles Louis de S e c o n d a t , t h e B a r o n d e Montesquieu visited the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa during his staying as guest of the Medici's family, he got extremely fasci- n a t e d b y t h e l e a n i n g t o w e r . After four centuries, he was not wrong after all: not only the "Torre di Pisa" is still standing, but it is one of those endless, most beloved attractions for Italians and tourists from world- w i d e . B u i l t i n t h r e e p h a s e s , between 1173 and 1370, on the alluvial sediments of the River Arno, its construction works lasted 176 years. In the first phase, four orders were com- pleted whereas, during the sec- ond one (1278), the 7th order was finished. The rise of the bell Tower was eventually achieved in 1360. However, the unique f e a t u r e o f t h e t o w e r , w h i c h catches tourists' interest and sur- prise, has caused many con- cerns, especially regarding the continuing tilt and the safety issue related to it. The history of la "torre pen- dente", the attempts to prevent its fall, and the measures to get it stabilised have been discussed during the event "How is the Tower of Pisa still standing?", hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. The panel turned into a fascinating talk run by two experts who w o r k e d o n t h e p r o j e c t s t h a t s a v e d t h e t o w e r : M i c h e l e J a m i o l k o w s k i , P r o f e s s o r E m e r i t u s a t T e c h n i c a l University of Turin and an inter- nationally recognized expert in geotechnical engineering, and Carlo Viggiani, Professor of Foundation Engineering at the University Federico II in Naples since 1975 and member of the International Committee for the Safeguard of the Tower of Pisa. A s e x p l a i n e d b y P r o f e s s o r Jamiolkowski, the tower integri- ty is under continuous threats, mainly because of the progres- s i v e g r o w t h o f r o t a t i o n a t increasing risk rate and the pos- sibility of sudden masonry fail- ure on the south side, between the 1st and the 2nd order. For these reasons, along the 20th c e n t u r y , s i x t e e n c o m m i t t e e s h a v e b e e n a p p o i n t e d b y t h e Italian Government in order to run no-stop investigations on the Tower movements. The team, w h o s e m e m b e r s h a v e b e e n c h a n g i n g o v e r t i m e , h a d t h e most serious challenge in 1989 when a similar tower, in Pavia, Lombardy, collapsed with no warnings. According to experts, the way it collapsed could defi- nitely strike the Pisa Tower, considering that the facade is under stresses related to the tilt- ing. One of the ideas the commit- tee came up with was the so- c a l l e d " u n d e r - e x c a v a t i o n method", that helped correct the tower inclination. This study was introduced for the first time by an Italian engineer, Fernando Terracina, who proposed this solution on the «Geotechnique» magazine in 1962: this method required the reduction of contact SERENA PERFETTO p r e s s u r e o n s o u t h s i d e b y removing soil under north side, with series of borings. The solu- tion was adopted in 2000s, and Mr Terracina could only witness the first part of it. Indeed, the foundations of the Tower were stabilized using various mea- sures and forty extraction holes were drilled below the tower. The under-excavation is still believed to have majorly con- tributed to the current stability. In June 2001, the Tower was returned to the Pisans and to the world in conditions of largely improved margins of safety and in December it reopened to visi- t o r s . A l t h o u g h P r o f e s s o r V i g g i a n i a n d P r o f e s s o r Jamiolkowski have been work- ing together for years and have come up with common analysis on what forced the tower behav- ing in a certain way, they still have different opinions on what to expect in the future. Many studies about its development have been introduced, ranging from a permanent stable situa- tion to scenarios where the evo- lution of the leaning instability may only have been retarded for a f e w y e a r s . A c c o r d i n g t o Professor Jamiolkowski, the scenario is pessimistic: although the Tower remains stable for a certain period of time, there will be a resumption of rotation at a reduced rate, giving it only 300 years of life. On the other hand, Professor Viggiani belongs to an optimistic group of experts, who believe the leaning instabil- ity phenomenon has stopped and t h e c o n t i n u i n g r o t a t i o n w i l l cease, except for minor cyclic rotations induced by seasonal phenomena and ground water oscillations. What is certain right now is that all the efforts have been aiming to the same d i r e c t i o n : s a v i n g o n e o f t h e most iconic monuments of the Bel Paese in the world. From far left, Professor Viggiani with Professor Jamiolkowski and Professor Burland Feb. 8, Sun. - Le Donne D'Italia Bubbly & Bingo. Join San Francisco's Italian Womens' Club for lunch and an afternoon filled with fun, and Bubbly and Bingo with cash prizes, at the Italian Athletic Club. For more details and tickets contacts Antonette 415-509-4810 or email sagit19@aol.com Feb. 8 , Sun. - A Celebration of Italy's Big Three: Rome, Florence and Venice. Author Susan Van Allen ("50 Places in Rome, Florence and Venice Every Woman Should Go"), mode- rates a panel of passionate experts who will share insider's info on Italy's Big Three. Museo Italo-Americano (Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., Building C, San Francisco, 94123. Please RSVP to (415) 673-2200 Feb. 8, Sat. - Genealogy Workship: "Italian Citizenship" with guest speaker Aimee Nitolo. Learn how to become an Italian citizen in this special ICS Genealogy workshop with guest speaker Aimee Nitolo. At the Italian Center: 6821 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael 95608. To register email italy2@surewest.net with your name and number of guests. Feb. 14, Sat. - Valentine's Day with Romeo and Juliet - Special Valentine's Day event at the Castro Theatre: Marc Huestis pre- sents Franco Zeffirelli's production of Romeo and Juliet. Leonard Whiting will attend in person. Discounts for IIC mem- bers, 415 788 7142, or email media@sfiic.org Feb. 15, Sat. - Documentary Film: "Men of the Cloth", an inspiring portrait of three Italian master tailors; Nino Corvato, Checchino Fonticoli and Joe Centofanti. one-time screening at the Italian Center, 6821 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael CA 95608. Info: (916) 482-5900 Feb. 20, Fri. - 2015 Italian Film Festival Movie: "DIECI INVERNI" (TEN WINTERS). Starring Isabella Ragonese, Michele Riondino, Glen Blackhall. Directed by Valerio Mieli; set in Venice. In Italian with English subtitles. (2009). Italian Center, 6821 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael CA 95608. Info: (916) 482-5900 Feb. 22, Sun. - Book Presentation: "Forever Florence, True Tales of Italian Intrigue" . Author Rona Commins brings Renaissance Florence alive in her new book. Italian Center, 6821 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael CA 95608. Info: (916) 482- 5900 The graphic showing the history of the inclination of the tower

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