比薩斜塔"扶正"成功 可再屹立200年

We all tend to stand that little bit straighter after a good wash and brush-up. And that includes the not-quite-so-Leaning Tower of Pisa. As well as cleaning centuries of grime from the Tuscan landmark, restorers helped stabilise its tilt by removing soil from beneath one side of its foundations. Its angle was previously 5.5 degrees from the perpendicular, but is now only 3.99 degrees off straight. Experts say the seven-storey bell tower should now be safe from further intervention for at least the next 200 years.

人們往往經過spa或洗浴後都會精神煥發、神采奕奕，當然比薩斜塔也不例外。日前，位於意大利托斯卡聞名世界的“比薩斜塔”經過翻修後，“腰桿挺直”了許多，同時享受過spa後的它已經可以用最良好的狀態迎接世界各地的遊客了。據悉，工作人員把支撐斜塔地基的土壤從一邊移動到另外一邊，使得斜塔的傾斜程度從原來的5.5度到現在的3.99度。維護斜塔的專家稱，經過這次“大動干戈”，比薩斜塔可以以目前的身姿再“昂首”屹立200年。

The reason for the 183ft building’s lean is believed to be shallow foundations of only 10ft, coupled with weak, unstable sub-soil. ‘It was on the verge of collapse, but we managed to stop the tilt and secure it,’ said a spokesman. Using lasers, chisels and syringes, the restoration team took eight years and three months to clean the 24,424 blocks of stone.

據說，身高爲55.8米的比薩斜塔8年前的狀況就已經“令人憂心”，似乎隨時都面臨着倒塌的危險。一位負責維修的工程人員稱，他們運用了激光、鑿子以及洗滌器等等器械清理了大約2.4萬塊碎石，維修時間歷時8年，終於將斜塔“扶正”成功，皆大歡喜。

The man in charge, Anton Sutter, said: ‘The stones were in an appalling state, mainly due to air pollution, though tourists and pigeons played a part. 'We've taken out the concrete used in past restorations and cleaned up the pigeon dirt, graffiti and hand-prints left by tourists as they struggle to keep their balance while climbing the winding stairs to the top.'

負責維修的工程人員Anton Sutter在分析比薩斜塔的傾斜原因說：“碎石是主要原因，同時空氣污染、遊客量也超過了斜塔承受的範圍，還有鴿子也是造成斜塔傾斜過度的原因，因爲鴿子的糞便會腐蝕斜塔磚壁，使得磚頭鬆動。”此外，在維修過程中，工作人員還運用傳統的建築材料水泥進行固定，同時清理鴿子糞便以及遊客在塔壁表面塗鴉，力求減少斜塔的傾斜程度。