Famous Italian Tower Shifts Toward Upright

Just when experts had decided how to stop it from leaning too much, the Tower of Pisa has sprung back a bit--one-tenth of an inch to be precise.

Earlier this year, a panel of government-appointed experts said they had decided to gird the medieval tower with steel rings in a bid to keep the monument from tilting too fast.

Scientists said the tower has leaned “back” several times this century, and they believe the movement moving in that direction is probably due to this year’s abundant rainfall, which raised ground water levels.

Travel Quiz: Name one of two European countries that shares its borders with five other countries?

Eclipse Crowds: Tourists heading for the southern tip of the Baja peninsula for best view of the July 11 solar eclipse--last of its kind until 2132--may find themselves facing shortages of unleaded gas, minimal public services and jammed hotels.

As many as 50,000 visitors are expected, although the southern half of Baja has facilities for just 35,000, according to Ricardo Garcia Soto, the state’s tourism director.

Hotel rooms have been sold out for two years, and although the Mexican government is establishing temporary accommodations, including rooms in private homes, schools and auditoriums, officials warn that public services will be minimal and as many as 10 people may have to share one room with a common restroom facility and shower.

Quick Fact: Under U.S. law, the maximum amount of time travelers may be kept waiting between disembarking an airplane and processing through immigration: 45 minutes. Average wait during peak hours at LAX last year at this time: two to three hours. Projected wait for peak periods this summer: 1 1/2 hours. (Source: Air Transport Assn. and LAX.)

Mozartland in the Making? To the alarm of many Austrians, the government now plans to hand over control of the crown jewel of state monuments, Schonbrunn Palace, to a consortium of private companies. The fear is that the elegant and tasteful Schonbrunn will be turned into a sort of Hapsburg Disneyland, with guides wearing powdered wigs and gift shops selling Mozart lamps.

Leasing contracts for commercial ventures, including tours, shops and restaurants on the historic premises, are to be made public by the end of this year. One firm reportedly proposed slicing up the parquet floors to install airport-type moving sidewalks that would ease tourists through ornate salons where Mozart entertained Empress Maria Theresa. Another suggested that a small-gauge railway wend its way around the manicured 450-acre grounds. Other plans are said to have included transforming the Gloriette arcade above the palace gardens into a cafe, and building a luxury hotel in the Orangerie.

Last year, some 1.7 million visitors streamed through the baroque palace, but ministry officials say current entrance fees are insufficient to meet soaring maintenance costs.

Comparatively Speaking: Passenger complaints filed against U.S. airlines in April, per 100,000 passengers: TWA (most): 6.06; Pan Am: 3.25; America West: 2.54, and Delta (least): .43. (Source: U.S. Department of Transportation.)

And We Think We’ve Got Traffic: By the end of the decade, more than 43 million cars--or one-tenth the world total--will be registered in Germany, a country half the size of Texas. The result has not just been regular 100-mile-long traffic jams on the autobahns , but also severe environmental damage. At least 55% of Germany’s forests are sick from pollution, and smog regularly exceeds safe limits in cities such as Munich and Berlin.

Enter Germany’s new national high-speed train system, which made its premier run earlier this month and which may prove that technology can be environmentally correct.

A federal study has put the costs of Germany’s auto-related pollution at $27 billion a year, compared to only $750 million a year for rail. Much of the difference is the cost of air and noise pollution, one result being that Germany may introduce a speed limit on its famous speed-limit-free autobahns in the next few years. The 175-m.p.h. InterCity Express, or ICE, began service between Munich and Hamburg June 2.

Fair Warning: Not far from the popular tourist retreat of Mendocino, what is billed as the World’s Largest Salmon Barbecue (55,000 pounds of salmon) will take place July 6 at Fort Bragg. The cook-out benefits the Salmon Restoration Assn., a group that claims to have used proceeds of 20 barbecues to put 3 million salmon back into nearby waters. The meal includes grilled salmon, French bread, corn on the cob, salad and coffee. Cost is $9 for adults, $4 for kids. The picnic takes place noon to 7 p.m. overlooking the boat-studded bay. It is followed by fireworks and dancing.

Quiz Answer: The countries are Switzerland (with France, Italy, Austria, Germany and Liechtenstein) and Czechoslovakia (with Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary and the Soviet Union).