Pisa's leaning tower said to be safe for 300 years

ROME (Reuters) - The leaning tower of Pisa has beensuccessfully stabilised and is out of danger for at least 300years, said an engineer who has been monitoring the iconicItalian tourist attraction.

"All of our expectations have been confirmed," ProfessorMichele Jamiolkowski, an engineer and geologist, was quoted astelling Italy's leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera.

The tower's tilt of about four metres off the vertical hasremained stable in recent years, after a big engineeringproject that ended in 2001 corrected its lean by about 40centimetres from where it was in 1990 when the project began.

"Now we can say that the tower can rest easy for at least300 years," Jamiolkowski told the paper in an article publishedon Wednesday.

The tower was shut to visitors for almost 12 years from1990 -- when it was sinking about a millimetre a year -- andreopened in December, 2001 at the end of the biggest phase ofthe consolidation and restoration project.

The 14,000-tonne free-standing bell tower, aninternationally recognised architectural symbol of Italy alongwith Rome's Colosseum, was built in several stages between 1174and 1370.

ANCHORED TO CABLES

It began to tilt after completion of several storeys due tounstable ground. Builders at first used trapezoidal stones toreturn the structure to the vertical but the tower continued tolean.

During the stabilisation phase of the project which endedin 2001 the structure was anchored to cables while cement wasinjected to relieve pressure on the ground. The lean of thetower is now considered safe and is about what it was in 1700.

Restorers are now using a specially-designed, light-weightscaffolding made of an aluminium alloy as a base from which toclean the tower's white and grey marble.

Officials have said over the years that they have nointention of straightening the tower, which would detract fromits unique status and tourist draw.

Astronomer Galileo, who was hauled before the Vatican'sInquisition for his view that the earth revolved around thesun, is said to have used the tower of his hometown forexperiments on gravity.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella)