Eliminating 'metal junk'

The ground breaking of the Leaning Tower of Pisa occurred in 1173 and it took an astonishing 200 years to complete. It started leaning as soon as construction started due to an inadequate foundation on soft soil. In the last two or three decades, engineers have reinforced the famous bell tower with all sorts of steel supports that have presumably arrested the movement toward what would have been eventual collapse. For a photographer who wants a clean shot, though, all of that 'metal junk' ruins the picture. I spent two hours removing it in Photoshop, and it was not easy. I used the clone tool extensively as well as the cut and paste technique. I replaced the sky, too, and added an artistic glow using one of the Nik filters. My settings for the photograph were 1/640, f/5, 100 ISO, and I used a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens set to 200mm. There is another leaning tower, not nearly as famous, on the island of Burano which is adjacent to Venice. The angle of the structure is so severe that it looks like it will fall or collapse at any time. The only word that comes to mind when I think of it is 'horrifying'. On my Carnival in Venice Photo Workshop my group goes to Burano Island, and every time I see this tower I shudder.