Torrazzo

Next to the cathedral, the very tall bell tower has a square base in its original structure, completed shortly after the mid-twelfth century, and becomes octagonal in the spire, the crowning element added in the first decade of the following century. For climbing to the top to enjoy the views – amidst Gothic details, perhaps by the same Campionesi Masters then employed in the cathedral – an internal staircase is provided, created within the space between what are in fact two towers, one inside the other.

The coexistence of religious and civil powers, evident in Piazza del Comune, is reflected in the Torrazzo, which in reality not only serves as a bell tower but also as a civic tower. It is not surprising that the building has been the true icon of the city for centuries.

Today the bell tower is visited under the name of the Torrazzo Vertical Museum. The various floors describe instruments used to measure time, allow us to view the mechanism of the 16th-century astronomical clock seen on the façade with its late 17th-century dial, then turn to astronomy proper and finally reach the belfry and the two terraces with their panoramic views. From one level and another, in short, the hundred or so steps let you catch your breath.