Tower sights in Italy
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Palazzo Comunale
At the lowest point of the square (or the tap of the aforementioned metaphorical sink), stands the spare, elegant Palazzo Comunale, conceived by the Council of Nine as a nerve centre for the republican government, uniting the offices and courts in one building, thus greatly reducing the symbolic and actual power of the feudal nobles.
Dating from 1297, the palazzo is one of the most graceful Gothic buildings in Italy. The ground level was constructed in stone, the upper, crenulated levels in brick, with an ingeniously designed concave façade to mirror the opposing convex curve formed by the piazza. Also known as the Palazzo Pubblico, or town hall, the palazzo was purpose-…
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Leaning Tower
Yes, the really does lean.
In 1160 Pisa boasted 10,000-odd towers – but had no bell tower for its cathedral. Loyal Pisan Berta di Bernardo righted this in 1172 when she died, leaving a legacy for construction of a campanile (bell tower). Work began in 1173 but ground to a halt a decade later, when the structure’s first three tiers were observed to be tilting. In 1272 work started again, with artisans and masons attempting to bolster the foundations but failing miserably. Despite this, they keep going, compensating for the lean by gradually building straight up from the lower storeys and creating a subtle curve.
Over the centuries, the tower has tilted an extra 1mm eac…
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Torre dell’Orologio
Legend has it that as thanks for services rendered, the inventors of this gold-leafed timepiece tracking lunar phases and astrological shifts were blinded so that no city but Venice could boast a similar engineering marvel. Tours of Mauro Codussi’s 1496–99 tower climb up a steep, claustrophobia-triggering four-storey spiral staircase to the terrace, where the Two Moors statues strike the hour on a bell. Three kings and an angel emerge on Epiphany and the Feast of the Assumption. Tour tickets include entrance to the Museo Correr, where you can book your tour. Children under six not permitted.
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Torre Apprezzami L'Asino
The curiously named Torre Apprezzami L'Asino is one of the six Spanish towers built in the 16th century as defence against pirates and invaders. It translates as 'Value my Donkey' tower. It is said to derive its name from an encounter between two travellers on a narrow cliff-side path. Coming from different directions and unable to pass each other they decided to throw the donkey of lesser value off the cliff.
The coastline is also dotted with numerous grottoes or sea caves, some of which can only be reached by boat.
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Santa Maria della Scala
On the shore stands the 15th-century watchtower Torre del Mare, now bell tower to Ischia's cathedral Santa Maria della Scala. The current church, designed by Antonio Massinetti and completed in 1751, stands on the site of two older churches, one built in the 13th century and the other in the 17th century. Inside its peeling interior you'll find the original 14th-century baptismal font, Romanesque wooden crucifix and an 18th-century canvas by Giacinto Diano.
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Campanile
Begun in 1334 by Giotto, Florence Cathedral’s soaring bell tower rises nearly as high as the cathedral’s dome. Its elaborate Gothic facade, including 16 life-size statues, represents a Who’s Who of 14th-century art, including Giotto Andrea Pisano, Donatello and Luca Della Robbia (the originals are in Museo dell’Opera del Duomo). Climb its 414 steps for nearly the same superb city view as Brunelleschi’s dome without the snaking lines.
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Torre degli Asinelli
Towering above Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, one of Bologna’s two leaning towers, Le Due Torri, is an unmistakable landmark. The 97.6m-high Torre degli Asinelli is open to the public, although it’s not advisable for the weak-kneed (there are 498 steps) or superstitious students (local lore says if you climb the tower you’ll never graduate). Built by the Asinelli family between 1109 and 1119, today it leans 1.3m off vertical.
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Torre Velasca
Studio BBPR’s 1958 skyscraper outdoes ‘80s Memphis in the post-modern quoting stakes. The top-heavy tower camply tilts at Castello Sforzesco and the Duomo’s lovely buttresses. Slightly sinister, ever so sci-fi and cleverly maximising use of available footprint, it’s Lombard to the core. Sadly, apart from the foyer, it’s currently as unbreachable as the medieval fortresses it emulates.
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Piazza del Duomo
The 60m campanile houses the world's largest astronomical clock, built in Strasbourg in 1733. The clock strikes at noon, setting in motion a slow-moving procession of bronze automata that have various historical and allegorical meanings (pick up the brochure from the tourist office for an explanation of each one) - watch out for the comical roaring lion and crowing cockerel.
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Panoramic Lift
The Mole Antonelliana Tower's glass Panoramic Lift whisks you 85m up through the centre of the museum to the Mole's roof terrace in 59 seconds. Fair warning if you're even slightly prone to vertigo: it's suspended only by cables, so when you look out it's as if you're free-floating in space. The 360-degree views from the outdoor viewing deck are dazzling by day or night.
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Pirelli Skyscraper
The upstart that broke the rules and outgrew the Madonnina atop the Duomo is widely admired for its fine bone structure: glass skin pulled tautly over a carefully calibrated, reinforced concrete base. Lead architect Gió Ponti's landmark has not only stood the test of time for 50 years, but even withstood an accidental plane crash into the building in 2002.
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Torre dei Lamberti
For superb views of Verona, take the lift or your feet up this 84m-high tower, built in stages from the 12th century (with a slight setback in 1403 when lightning knocked its top off). Sporting an octagonal bell tower, its two bells retain their ancient names: 'rengo' once called meetings of the city council, while 'marangona' warned citizens of fire.
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Museo Civico del Torrione
Long before the invasion of sarongs and sunscreen, Forio was the hapless target of medieval pirate raids. One of the 12 watchtowers built to defend its frazzled citizens houses the Museo Civico del Torrione . Dating from 1480, this former Bourbon prison now exhibits the works of painter and sculptor Giovanni Maltese, who once lived in the tower.
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Palazzo Comunale
San Gimignano's other principal sight (in addition to the Collegiata), the Palazzo Comunale is the seat of secular power, founded in 1288, expanded in the 14th century and with a neogothic façade tacked on in the late 19th century. Climb up the palazzo's Torre Grossa for a spectacular view of the town and surrounding countryside.
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Panorama del Facciatone
For a great panoramic view, haul yourself up the 131-step, narrow corkscrew stairway to the Panorama del Facciatone at the top of the facade of the putative Nuovo Duomo. A combined ticket for Museo Dell’opera Metropolitana and panorama costs €10 and is valid for three days.
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Mole Antonelliana
The symbol of Turin is the Mole Antonelliana. This 167m tower, with its distinctive aluminium spire, appears on the Italian two-cent coin. It was originally intended as a synagogue when construction began in 1862, but was never used as a place of worship.
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Loggia di San Giovanni
A clear reminder of Venetian influence along with the Palazzo del Comune is the Loggia di San Giovanni opposite, which features a clock tower modelled, albeit in squatter format, on the one gracing Venice's Piazza San Marco. As in Venice, Moorish figures strike the hours.
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Torre Guelfa
Enchanting rooftop-views spill out from Torre Guelfa, part of the old citadel a few paces west of Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina. Built in the 15th century, the tower was destroyed during WWII and rebuilt in 1956. Trawl up 200 steps to get to the top.
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Torre della Gabbia
Enter Piazza Sordello from the south and on your left you have the grand house of the Gonzagas' predecessors, the Bonacolsi clan. Hapless prisoners used to be dangled in a cage from the tower, aptly called the Torre della Gabbia - Cage Tower.
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Chiesa di Sant’Andrea
In Piazza della Repubblica, once the site of Orvieto’s Roman Forum and later the heart of the medieval city, stands the 12th-century Chiesa di Sant’Andrea with its curious decagonal bell tower.
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Torre dell’Elefante
Guarding the southern entrance of Su Casteddu, the Torre dell’Elefante is one of only two medieval towers still standing. It takes its name from the sculpted elephant by the vicious-looking portcullis.
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Torre delle Ore
There are great views of the city from its walls, yes, but for a sweeping overview head up 207 steps to the top of Torre delle Ore, a 13th-century clock tower hotly contested by rival families in medieval Lucca.
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Torre di Longonsardo
The 16th-century Torre di Longonsardo is in a magnificent position, overlooking the natural deep port on one side and the entrance to the town's idyllic (but crowded) Spiaggia Rena Bianca on the other.
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Torrazzo
The 11m-tall torrazzo, which translates appropriately to something like ‘great, fat tower’, sports a giant zodiacal clock and is connected to the cathedral by a Renaissance loggia.
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Torre Pisano
From Cortile di San Martino (Courtyard of St Martin) you can climb up Torre Pisano, from where there are fabulous views - at least when the fog, an enduring element of Enna's weather, has lifted.
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