Venice bell tower under restoration

One of Venice's landmarks is to undergo major restoration. The Venice bell tower, located in the famous San Marco square, will be partially transformed into a building site during the next two years.

In a city where architecture is regarded seriously, the restoration of an ancient building attracts plenty of attention.

Dominating one of Venice's main squares is a 12th century bell tower, in desperate need of restoration.

Nicknamed 'El Paron de Casa' (the gaffer or boss), the bell tower was built in the 11th century. It was located on the site of an older tower, dating back to around 900 AD.

After sustaining structural damage, the tower was rebuilt in the 16th century. But more than three hundred years later, in 1902, the reconstructed tower collapsed, to rubble.

The existing tower was built in 1912.

After careful monitoring, a team of architects concludes the tower needs work to shore up its foundations.

The tower is listing, 7cm per year. That's not as severe as Pisa's Leaning Tower. But surveyors also reckon the foundations of the bell tower are cracking one millimetre a year.

Giorgio Maimoldi, geometriciam, said, "the problem of the tower, is a problem of static energy, linked to the tower's foundations. In particular, it pertains to the enlargement of the foundation, after the collapse of 1902."

Maimoldi says the operation involves placing a belt around the foundations to make them more homogenous.

The building will go through the same technical procedures employed in restoring Saint Peter's dome in Rome.

A double system of titanium bars, with an initial 250 kilogrammes per bar tension, will be installed two metres under ground.

Tension on the bars will be increased based on the findings of a monitoring system.

The renovation work is expected to last,approximately two- and-a-half years.ZNN,CCTV