Rome Torre dei Conti partial collapse during repairs
If you were walking between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum today, you would have seen an emergency operation unfolding around the Torre dei Conti. Just after 11:30 local time on Monday 3 November, part of the medieval tower gave way during restoration works. One worker was taken to San Giovanni hospital in a critical condition and another remains trapped but alive, according to officials.
Rescuers initially pulled three colleagues from scaffolding using aerial ladders. Around 13:00, while the team moved equipment into position, an internal section crumbled again, throwing up a cloud of dust and forcing a brief halt before work resumed. The 29‑metre structure remains standing but damaged, and a drone has been flown inside to guide the next steps.
The tower has been closed to visitors for years and is in the middle of a multi‑year conservation project. The Guardian notes the works are backed by the EU’s post‑pandemic recovery fund, while Reuters reports the site has been unoccupied since 2006 and was slated to finish in 2026.
What this means if you’re visiting Rome: expect cordons around Largo Corrado Ricci and sections of Via dei Fori Imperiali, with stewards diverting foot traffic and vehicles. Euronews and Reuters say the immediate area has been sealed to keep the public at a safe distance while cranes and specialist teams operate.
How a rescue happens in a fragile historic building: firefighters stabilise the area in small steps, using props, cameras and ladders to reduce movement. AP describes teams deploying a drone and vacuum tools to clear debris without jolting the structure. Progress looks slow from the outside because it has to be.
It is too early to say why this happened. Investigators will review survey data, the sequence of works and the temporary supports that were in place. Il Foglio reports prosecutors in Rome have opened a standard inquiry into suspected negligent injury, which is common procedure after serious workplace incidents.
A short history for context: the Torre dei Conti went up in the early 1200s for the powerful Conti family linked to Pope Innocent III. It was once far taller but lost upper storeys in earthquakes from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century; it stands beside Via dei Fori Imperiali today.
If you study conservation, you know medieval towers are a patchwork of brick, tufa and lime mortar, strong when compressed but vulnerable when bent or shaken. During repairs, engineers often inject lime grout, add ties, and use temporary bracing so the old masonry is never bearing load on its own. That careful sequencing lowers risk but cannot remove it entirely.
What happens next: first, rescue, then stabilisation. Only after engineers make the tower safe will authorities decide when to reopen the street and how the restoration continues. AP says the operation remains delicate and ongoing as of Monday, and officials on scene have urged patience while crews work methodically.