The two towers and Bologna, an inseparable pair - and an image -. There Tower of the Asinelli , Garisenda Tower they are universally recognized as the symbol of the capital of Emilia Romagna. The first, at over 97 meters, is the tallest medieval leaning tower in the world. The second, almost 48 meters high, is even more leaning, with an overhang of over three meters. They are both located in the center of Bologna. At the entry point of the ancient Via Emilia, one of the most important consular roads from the Roman era that connects Rimini to Piacenza.

view of the Asinelli towers

The Asinelli and Garisenda towers are the most famous, along with another twenty still existing that tell the story of a Bologna, a turreted city which, in medieval times between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, even had about a hundred towers. Because? They certainly represented a symbol of prestige and wealth, of power, for the noble families who had them built. But they were also a useful tool - just outside the first walls and therefore in a strategic position - of defense and / or offense should this be necessary.

The tallest medieval leaning tower in the world

La Tower of the Asinelli, the tallest, was built over ten years between 1109 and 1119. It is 97 meters and twenty centimeters high. According to tradition, it was commissioned by the noble Ghibelline knight Gherardo Asinelli, from which it takes its name. Amidst ups and downs, when the Asinelli family lost the power and the position it occupied in those years, the tower was purchased by the Municipality of Bologna towards the end of the fourteenth century and used it as a prison. Over the centuries it was hit by numerous fires, actually not very harmful if not for the wooden stairs, and even in the sixteenth century by a cannonball fired to celebrate the election as pope of Leo X. Her real enemies, however, were lightning, which struck her many times until, in 1824, a lightning rod was installed.

towers of the Asinelli - detail of the tower
The two towers (ph credit: Free Latin CC BY-SA 4.0)

A treasure and a love story weave the best-known legend linked to this tower. The treasure was "discovered" by two donkeys, kicking it out from under the ground. The donkeys belonged to a humble farmer who hid it. When, years later, her son fell in love with a beautiful girl of noble origins, he was rejected by her father because of another social class. He could have come back to ask for his daughter's hand only if he had managed to build the tallest tower in Bologna. He succeeded, thanks to the "donkey treasure" that his father made available to him.

Over 97 meters for 498 steps

Today's story tells us that the Tower of the Asinelli has an internal staircase of 498 steps (no lift!). That its slope is two meters and 32 centimeters, and that from its top you can enjoy a beautiful view. A modern legend advises students of the historic university of Bologna from climbing that ladder before graduation. There is the risk that then you will no longer reach, or in any case you will arrive with great difficulty, the coveted diploma.

The Garisenda and its slope: Dante also talks about it in the Divine Comedy

And the Garisenda Tower? Nice story of him too. It is 48 meters high, also its construction dates back to the early twelfth century (around 1109) and is due to the Ghibellines Garisendi, wealthy Bolognese family. Initially this, which apparently was a watchtower, was at least ten meters taller. But it was soon reduced (for this reason it is also known as the “severed tower”) due to structural failures. Also evident in his slope with a protrusion of three meters and 22 centimeters and an angle of four degrees. Which today is more or less the same as in the past. Apparently less famous, actually it was mentioned twice by Dante. In a sonnet and in the Divine Comedy, here in reference to its slope. Many changes of ownership until, in 1904, it passed under the protection of the Municipality of Bologna.

Photo source in evidence Lisavit CC BY-SA 4.0.

The two towers of the Asinelli and of the Garisenda, symbol of Bologna last edit: 2022-02-23T15:30:00+01:00 da Cristina Campolonghi

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