Medieval towers in the historical center of the city. Once there were about a hundred of them in Bologna, now there are about two dozen. But these two are the most famous.

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Nikita

Level 14 Local Expert

The Torre degli Asinelli is the most recognizable symbol of the Italian city of Bologna and the tallest surviving medieval tower in Europe. It is part of the architectural ensemble of the "Two Towers" (Le Due Torri), along with the neighboring Garizenda tower. The height of the tower is 97.2 meters. The tower is "falling", the deviation of the top from the vertical is about 2.2 meters. It was built by the Asinelli family between 1109 and 1119. It is built of red brick. Inside there is a wooden staircase with 498 steps leading to the observation deck. About 100 similar towers were built in Bologna in the 12th and 13th centuries. They served as a symbol of the family's status and were used for defensive purposes. At that time, Bologna was divided into warring factions: the Guelphs (supporters of the Pope) and the Ghibellines (supporters of the Emperor). The towers were private fortresses. In case of street riots, the family barricaded themselves inside. The entrance to the tower was often located at a level of 3-5 meters from the ground, which was reached by a ladder, which was then pulled inside. The upper tiers were used to fire stones and arrows at enemies. Surprisingly, these giants had very weak foundations — only 5-10 meters deep. This was the reason why many towers began to tilt (like Garizenda) or collapse. The walls were incredibly thick at the base (up to 2-3 meters), and narrowed and became thinner towards the top to facilitate the construction. If you look closely at the Asinelli tower, you can see square holes on it. These are not windows, but grooves for wooden beams, which supported the external scaffolding and galleries during construction and operation. By the end of the 13th century, most of the towers had been demolished or rebuilt. Many towers simply fell on neighboring houses. Moreover, the city commune (city hall) strengthened and forbade private clans to have their fortresses inside the city. Bricks were also an expensive resource, so abandoned towers were dismantled for building materials for palaces. To this day, about 22 towers have been preserved in Bologna, but most of them are "hidden" — they are shortened and built into ordinary residential buildings. From the top of the tower there is a panoramic view of the city, for which Bologna was nicknamed "red" (because of the color of the tiled roofs). Local students believe that climbing the Asinelli Tower before graduation is a bad omen that can interfere with graduation. Unfortunately, it is impossible to climb the Asinelli Tower now. It has been closed to the public since October 2023 and, according to current restoration plans, will remain closed for a long time. The main reason for the closure is the critical condition of the neighboring Garizenda Tower. The sensors detected abnormal fluctuations and tilt, which created the risk of a sudden collapse.

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Galina T.

Level 4 Local Expert

The two most notable leaning towers of Bologna – La torre Asinelli and La torre Garisenda – are currently the hallmark of Bologna. The construction of the Asinelli began in 1109 (this date is reflected in the found archival documents), although according to legends it began to be built much earlier – at the beginning of the 11th century. Its height is just over 97 meters. This makes it the tallest historical building in Old Bologna and the tallest "leaning" tower in the world!!! In the 18th century, Giovanni Guglielmo studied the laws of gravity by throwing objects from the Asinelli Tower. Not quite accurate observance of construction technologies led to the fact that the tower began to tilt. Now the deviation from the axis is almost 2.1 meters. Anyone can climb to the highest observation deck at an altitude of 97 meters above the ground, having overcome 498 steps.

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