The Two Towers of Bologna: history, legend and curiosities

THE TWO TOWERS OF BOLOGNA: THE HISTORY OF THE "TORRE DEGLI ASINELLI" AND THE "GARISENDA" 

Among the many names assigned to Bologna over time (the Learned, the Fat, the Red) there is also the “Turrita” due to the architectural element which, together with the porches, most characterizes the city: the towers.

The best known are certainly the Torre degli Asinelli and the Torre della Garisenda, also known as “the two towers”, but they are not the only ones present in the area. Although around twenty survive to us, between the 12th and 13th centuries there were even more than a hundred.

The reason for this enormous diffusion is due not so much to an aesthetic and architectural research but to a "struggle" between families. The wealthier ones used to build towers which, symbolizing their power, had to be very tall and imposing.

THE ASINELLI TOWER IN BOLOGNA 

There are few historical documents that provide us with information about the towers of Bologna. The Torre degli Asinelli, for example, seems to have been built by the knight Gherardo Asinelli, from whom it takes its name, with the aim of being able to control Bologna and the surrounding territories from it and act promptly in case of danger. Following the decline of the family, it was sold to the municipality of Bologna which used it as a prison.

The story tells of a continuous succession of misfortunes that involved the tower, fortunately without destroying it: in 1513 it was hit by a cannonball during a celebration ceremony; later it was the victim of numerous fires, the main ones caused by lightning, which led in 1824 to the installation of protective structures.

Today it is possible to visit it and reach the top of the tower after having climbed the 498 steps and admire the whole panorama of Bologna from there.

Although its slope is very low compared to that of the nearby Torre della Garisenda (1.3 degrees compared to the latter's 4 degrees) it is to be considered the highest leaning tower in Italy with its 97.20 metres.

THE GARISENDA TOWER 

Cited by Dante in the Divine Comedy, the Torre della Garisenda is located next to that of the Asinelli in piazza di porta Ravegnana. Although that of Pisa is considered the leaning tower par excellence, that of Garisenda manages to surpass it. By 0.03 degrees, the Bologna tower wins the record for the leanest tower in Italy.

As per tradition, it too takes its name from the owners, the Garisenda family who had it built around 1109. The dimensions have undergone substantial variations over time: when it was built it was about 60 meters, then reduced to 48 due to structural failures which also changed its slope. Ownership also changed: from the Garisendi family it passed into the hands of three other families before arriving at the Municipality of Bologna, which still takes care of your guardianship.

BEYOND THE "TWO TOWERS": THE OTHER TOWERS OF BOLOGNA 

Although the Torre degli Asinelli and the Torre della Garisenda represent the emblem of Bologna's towers, both for their position in the heart of the city and for their particularities, they are not the only ones that can be admired in the historic centre.

There is the Prendiparte Tower, also known as the Crowned Tower due to an architectural element, the offset, which reduces its thickness 10 meters from the top, making a sort of crown appear.

Next to it, but with decidedly reduced dimensions, is the Torre dei Guidozagni which, following a collapse, lost its upper part and the house annexed to the tower. The noble Guidozagni family could boast the ownership of four towers, destroyed over time due to the construction of new structures.

Walking in Piazza Maggiore it is possible to see the Torre degli Scappi, just under 40 meters high since it was never finished.

The Uguzzoni Tower it is located between vicolo Mandria and vicolo Tubertini and, based on the positioning of the windows and the reduced thickness of the walls, it can be guessed that the tower was used as a dwelling.

In another area of the centre, that of Strada Maggiore, is the Torre degli Oseletti, originally 70 meters high, of which only 31 survive. The name derives from the family coat of arms with three goldfinches, which in dialect become "oselletti".

Torre degli Azzoguidi is called "Altabella", due to the precision of its verticality and, being 61 meters high, it is the second tallest tower in Bologna. This nickname "influenced" even the street where the tower resides, which in turn was called via Altabella.

Lastly, among the main towers of Bologna is the Torre dei Galluzzi, the most recent of those that have come down to us today as it was only built in 1257. As often happens, a legend is told around this tower as well makes the Bolognese version of Romeo and Juliet the protagonists. It is said that the daughter of the Galluzzi family fell in love with a young man from the opposing family, the Carbonesi. When the young girl's brothers found out, they killed both.

Bologna is rich in history: every tower, every portico, every monument has a past full of anecdotes and curiosities, to be discovered by walking through the alleys of the learned city.