The Leaning Tower of Pisa is leaning just a little bit less thanks to years of remedial engineering works, experts have disclosed.

The monument’s distinctive tilt has been corrected by four centimetres (1.5 inches) over the last 20 years, they said.

The 183ft-tall tower is now more stable than could have been hoped for, according to a surveillance group of experts who monitor one of Italy’s most famous symbols.

It inclines away from the perpendicular by about half a degree less compared to the turn of the century, according to the monitoring team.

“It’s as if it’s had two centuries taken off its age,” said Prof Salvatore Settis, one of the experts.

“Since remedial work began, the bell tower is leaning by about half a degree less,” said Nunziante Squeglia, a professor of geotechnics from Pisa University who works with the monitoring group, which meets every three months for updates on the state of the stone structure.

The stability of the eight-storey tower is “better than our initial predictions,” he said.