  (PISA, Italia, Friday 15 June 2001, 21: 01) ASCA Italian News Agency Tower Of Pisa: To 'So.Le' For A Week (ASCA)- Pisa, 15 June - One week of extraordinary illumination for the Tower of Pisa that tomorrow will be returned to the city and to the world after 11 years of work. From this evening, thanks to the firm 'So.le' of the Enel group, the Tower will be illuminated for 7 days by 54 lamps 1,000 watt of white light, but with different intensity to dramatize the opening of the monument. ''A true 'star' in Piazza dei Miracoli,'' says the president of Enel, Chicco Testa. The illumination will be activated in the course of an RAI broadcast of the 'Frontier' transmission of Frederico Fazzuoli. ''Enel is particularly tied to Pisa and the Tower", said Chicco Testa, "and our commitment is very strong for the work of consolidation with the Enel society 'Hjdrol,' ex Ismns.'' And in fact this engineering society that, like its subsidiary in the consortium that has carried the work of consolidation ahead of the Tower, it has conducted the geologic studies and now monitors each small movement of the Tower with a very sophisticated system. For the studies a model of the actual staircase has been constructed. The illumination project cost around 150 million lire ($ 70,000 US). ''We would also like to provide the permanent illumination", said Testa, "but this surely needs a plan much more binding from an architectural point of view with a cost that could approach about a billion lire ($ 475,000 US), and perhaps would need a partner". So.le carries the plan 'Light for the art" ahead, that for many years has provided illumination of important monuments in all Italy, with Tuscany leading the list. Last October the Tower of Pisa was lluminated in pink on the occasion of a demonstration in favor of the fight against breast cancer, together with 24 pther monuments. Agreements for the illumination of monuments", Testa remembered, "have been executed also in Campania, Calabria and Puglia. |
 (Pisa, Italia Thursday 14 June 2001, 17: 04) Agenzia Giornailistica Italia Tower Of Pisa, Redelivered To the City After 11 Years (AGI)- Pisa 14 June- The Tower of Pisa will be redelivered the city next Saturday, but not reopened to the public until October. An event anticipated for 11 years, from 7 January 1990 in which, under the eyes of the television cameras of Raffaella Carra, "it was closed, the consequence of a decree by then Minister of the Public Works, Giovanni Prandini. Cables, Suspenders, Weights and an expense of about 53 billion lire ($25 million US), have caused a "miracle": the lean is reduced by 40 centimeters. A reduction that should allow another 250 to 300 years of calm life for the famous bell tower. For her redelivery to the City is announced the presence of the President of the Senate, Marcello Pera, the Ministers Claudio Scialoja (Interior), Giuliano Urbani (Cultural Good), and Pietro Lunardi (Infrastructure). The work of stabilization will not be missed by Massimo d'Alema, President of the Counsel, and Pisa students. But for the reopening to the public one must attend next October. Only then the 293 stairs of the Tower will be again traveled by tourists. And the entries will be restricted: thirty people at a time, accompanied by personnel of the Primaziale. Each visit lasts from 30 to 45 minutes and each visitor must buy a ticket between 20 and 25 thousand lire ($ 10 US). A price that doesn't seem discouraging, for a moment that is already in demand with bookings recorded from every part of the world. Interventions to the Tower are still not all concluded. The marble masonry repair remains, that will be effected jointly by the Offices of Cultural Good and the Office of Infrastructure. The plan is now ready, but the work should begin only beginning next year. (AGI) |
Translated by Gary Feuerstein, 23 June 2001 from an articles originally posted by ASCA and AGI
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