Il Tirreno Giornale (PISA, Italia, Friday 30 November 2001)
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The first visits will begin December 15 Tourists will climb only in small groups A Conference for discussions about the restoration. The Committee will serve at least five years by Luciano Donzella PISA. It is returned to health after a long illness, and today it can not only be seen again by its many admirers, but also return to think about the ephemeral, the beauty. We are speaking of "the old lady" that for eight long centuries has taken an oblique glance at Pisa: the Leaning Tower. December 15 she will reopen to visitors, and meanwhile yesterday a conference has addressed the problem of the restoration, a complex operation that in the next years intends to restore the splendid marble architecture. It has taken place in the Toniolo auditorium of Piazza Arcivescovado, a day of studies on "The Tower of Pisa: Workyard of Study and The Plan of Restoration of the Exterior", organized by the Work of the Primaziale, the Committee for the Safeguard of the Tower, and the Institute for Restoration. In the course of the seminar the plan of extrerior masonry restoration has been presented, elaborated by the Central Institute of Restoration on the basis of their research during the 12 years of work by the Committee. The project cost is estimated to be 4,854.690 euro (about 9,400 milion lire) over a five year period. The importance of the whole intervention has been emphasized by all, the work is being entrusted to highly specialized renovators who will collaborate with the Work of the Primaziale. To implement the work a scaffolding has been designed that will allow intervention floor by floor without covering the whole Tower that will therefore remain accessible and visible. During the work of restoration it will be possible to conduct the guided visits at the same time. Certainty regarding the reopening will arrive tomorrow absolutely, on occasion of a conference programmed in Venice, but with 99.9% certainty the leaning Tower will reopen to the public December 15 after almost 12 years of closing (the anniversary occurs January 7). The price of the ticket with all probability will be fixed at 30,000 lire (15 euro, about 29.045 lire) with discount and reductions for school and parties. Entry will be limited to a maximum of 25 or 30 people at a time accompanies by two custodians, and each visit will last about half an hour. In the winter period the Tower will be open from 9AM t0 4PM, all days, and visitors will be able to climb up to the summit, that is on the baluster above bell cell. They will not be able to access the exterior loggia. In these days the workers of the Primaziale in green overalls are completing the reconstruction of the basin, that is the plinth on which the monument rests, with the large slabs of original marble. It will be possibile to reserve the climb on the Tower via Internet: the requests are already massive, originating from all over the world, especially by tour operators. The official site is [www.duomo.pisa.it]. Yet to decide is the system of priority for the climb and it is not known whether visits will be possible at the last moment. It is calculated that the number of people the Tower will accommodate in the course of a day will not exceed 500 but the applications will be many more, for which there will be inevitable queues in the first phase, as the procedures are tested. Leaning Tower of Pisa Page Return to Leaning Tower of Pisa News Page  This Page maintained by: Gary Feuerstein |