4 ms·

What's up with leaning towers in Italy?

HPsquared 3y ago
They built a lot of towers, back in the day.
ndr 3y ago
They've been around for almost 1000 years. Germany and the Netherlands are close to Italy though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaning_towers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaning_towers
mvdtnz 3y ago
According to the article, "The slant is believed to be due to ground subsidence during the 14th century", although this doesn't answer the question of why so many in Italy?
- kratom_sandwich 3y ago
  Apparently this was an architectural fad in the middle ages: rich families built "skyscrapers" to show their wealth and look out for enemies. At one point, Bologna had more than 100 of these towers [1]. Today, the small town of San Gimignano [2] is well known for these structures which do not seem to have a name in English (in German, they are called "Geschlechtertürme" and have their own Wikipedia [3] entry). Also, I encourage everyone to visit Bologna, it's an amazing city! [1] this is a figure you will often read, but it seems to be a bit inflated - apparently it's double counting towers from different time periods [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano [3] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm
  - HPsquared 3y ago
    See also the "Folly", a more generic term for a "vanity structure". https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly
    - delfinom 3y ago
      Medieval epeens.
  - Someone 3y ago
    From https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Bologna_Middleage.jpg https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Bologna_Middleage.jpg. That tower in the front a bit to the right of the center is seriously leaning, I estimate about ten degrees.
  - hm-nah 3y ago
    I heart Bologna! Going back for sure.
- toyg 3y ago
  Because Italian cities invented "downtown density" - since Roman times, everyone wanted to live as close to the center of the urbe as possible, driving up real estate prices to the point where "statement" buildings had to be optimized for height. This is particularly true for Bononia where, at the height of its power in the 12th/13th/14th century, families competed to have the highest tower in a town that had literally dozens of them.
pengaru 3y ago
Oh please https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/series/millennium-tower/san-francisco-millennium-tower-more-tilting/3249034/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/series/millennium-...
manuelmoreale 3y ago
That’s what happens when towers have access to our wines /s I guess this is what happens when you have so many old buildings everywhere. One or two will lean at some point. It’s impressive that they still stand though.
thefz 3y ago
Year 1000 engineering vs. year 2000 climate.
ASalazarMX 3y ago
Earthquakes. For all its centuries, the famous tower of Pisa has endured them all without crumbling. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180509105004.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180509105004.h...

They built a lot of towers, back in the day.

ndr 3y ago

They've been around for almost 1000 years. Germany and the Netherlands are close to Italy though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaning_towers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaning_towers

mvdtnz 3y ago

According to the article, "The slant is believed to be due to ground subsidence during the 14th century", although this doesn't answer the question of why so many in Italy?

kratom_sandwich 3y ago
Apparently this was an architectural fad in the middle ages: rich families built "skyscrapers" to show their wealth and look out for enemies. At one point, Bologna had more than 100 of these towers [1]. Today, the small town of San Gimignano [2] is well known for these structures which do not seem to have a name in English (in German, they are called "Geschlechtertürme" and have their own Wikipedia [3] entry). Also, I encourage everyone to visit Bologna, it's an amazing city! [1] this is a figure you will often read, but it seems to be a bit inflated - apparently it's double counting towers from different time periods [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano [3] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm
- HPsquared 3y ago
  See also the "Folly", a more generic term for a "vanity structure". https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly
  - delfinom 3y ago
    Medieval epeens.
- Someone 3y ago
  From https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschlechterturm: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Bologna_Middleage.jpg https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Bologna_Middleage.jpg. That tower in the front a bit to the right of the center is seriously leaning, I estimate about ten degrees.
- hm-nah 3y ago
  I heart Bologna! Going back for sure.
toyg 3y ago
Because Italian cities invented "downtown density" - since Roman times, everyone wanted to live as close to the center of the urbe as possible, driving up real estate prices to the point where "statement" buildings had to be optimized for height. This is particularly true for Bononia where, at the height of its power in the 12th/13th/14th century, families competed to have the highest tower in a town that had literally dozens of them.

pengaru 3y ago

Oh please https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/series/millennium-tower/san-francisco-millennium-tower-more-tilting/3249034/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/series/millennium-...

manuelmoreale 3y ago

That’s what happens when towers have access to our wines /s I guess this is what happens when you have so many old buildings everywhere. One or two will lean at some point. It’s impressive that they still stand though.

thefz 3y ago

Year 1000 engineering vs. year 2000 climate.

ASalazarMX 3y ago

Earthquakes. For all its centuries, the famous tower of Pisa has endured them all without crumbling. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180509105004.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180509105004.h...