Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Torre del Mangia

Torre del Mangia, Piazza del Campo, Siena

Torre del Mangia, 1348
Piazza del Campo
Siena, April 2017

“The Torre del Mangia is a tower in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. Built in 1338-1348, it is located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's premier square, adjacent to the Palazzo Pubblico (Town Hall). When built it was one of the tallest secular towers in medieval Italy. At 102 m, it is second tallest after Cremona's Torrazzo (112 m (367 ft)), the Asinelli tower in Bologna at 97 m being third. The tower was built to be exactly the same height as the Siena Cathedral as a sign that the church and the state had equal amounts of power. Literally meaning ‘Tower of the Eater’, the name refers to its first bellringer, Giovanni di Balduccio, nicknamed Mangiaguadagni (‘Eat-the-profits’, that is ‘Profit eater’) either for his spendthrift tendency, idleness or gluttony.” (Torre del Mangia, Wikipedia)

No comments: