The bells of Barga are silent today as essential maintenance work it taking place on the centuries old bells.
Things wear out and have to be checked and replaced if necessary but also new safety rules involving bells coming into place right across the country means that some more invasive work had to be done.
As the heavy metal clappers inside the bells could with wear and tear detach themselves and cause extreme damage to the bell tower and/or bell ringers, new safety measures and systems are being worked out.
This morning the three clappers were removed and metal rings welded on the bottom edges so that thick steel cables could be attached so that if any did fail the clappers would still remain connected to the bell.
