Asinelli Tower

The Asinelli Tower is part of the two-tower complex—Le Due Torri—and is the only one accessible of the two; the other tower is the Garisenda Tower. The tower has a height of 97.2m and leans at a slope of 1.3 degrees. It takes 498 steps to reach the top, but the view from here is simply stunning.

These towers are the most iconic monuments in this city and serve as an unofficial logo of Bologna. The tower was constructed between 1109 and 1119, named after the family who built it. Initially, it was just 60m tall but later was extended to give far-reaching warning signals. It was used as a point of observation and for defensive purposes. It has withstood many fires, lightning strikes and calamities and is one of 200 towers that once populated Bologna. Its sister tower, the Garisenda, was built around 1110 and is 47.5m tall. There’s also a superstition associated with the Asinelli tower, which says that you won’t be able to graduate if you climb this tower.