During the 11th and 12th centuries, Florence was flourishing as a Renaissance city, growing richer and more powerful every day.
Noble families living here were often feuding with each other and many of them built tall elaborate towers beside their palazzos to show off their wealth. But these towers also served as a form of defence where families could escape through a trapdoor at the bottom along a secret underground passage if the feuds grew too violent!
Stay in a lovely luxury villa in Florence province where you can easily travel into the city and explore all the treasures awaiting you here.
Here are some of Florence’s most interesting towers and where they’re located.
Noble families living here were often feuding with each other and many of them built tall elaborate towers beside their palazzos to show off their wealth. But these towers also served as a form of defence where families could escape through a trapdoor at the bottom along a secret underground passage if the feuds grew too violent!
Stay in a lovely luxury villa in Florence province where you can easily travel into the city and explore all the treasures awaiting you here.
Here are some of Florence’s most interesting towers and where they’re located.
The Castagna Tower was once the most famous in Florence when the Badia Fiorentina monks gave it to the city in 1282 to be used as a safe meeting place for the priors before Palazzo Vecchio was built.
The tower’s name means ‘Tower of the Chestnut’ as when the priors came to a decision over something, they placed a chestnut in a box.
Pagliazza tower has an unusual semi-circular shape and was once a women’s prison! Pagliazza comes from the word ‘Palliasse’ which was the thin mattress women prisoners slept on. It’s now fully restored and part of a hotel.
The tower’s name means ‘Tower of the Chestnut’ as when the priors came to a decision over something, they placed a chestnut in a box.
Pagliazza tower has an unusual semi-circular shape and was once a women’s prison! Pagliazza comes from the word ‘Palliasse’ which was the thin mattress women prisoners slept on. It’s now fully restored and part of a hotel.
The Alberti tower in the Santa Croce quarter of Florence was built in the 13th century and can still be seen today. Also worth a look is the row of towers built along Borgo San Jacopo on the far side of Ponte Vecchio in Oltrarno. See the Volognana tower too, part of the lavish Bargello palace and museum.
The Consorti and Corso Donati towers have also been fully restored and are now part of a modern building and the Tassinari Palace. And don't forget a visit to the beautiful Torre di San Niccolò when you're here which has been beautifully restored and has a lot of history to tell!
So why not enjoy a day out in Florence city, simply admiring the historic towers which still stand proudly here?
The Consorti and Corso Donati towers have also been fully restored and are now part of a modern building and the Tassinari Palace. And don't forget a visit to the beautiful Torre di San Niccolò when you're here which has been beautifully restored and has a lot of history to tell!
So why not enjoy a day out in Florence city, simply admiring the historic towers which still stand proudly here?
Photo credits
picture 1: Sailko / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Sailko / CC BY 2.5;
picture 3: Mac9 / CC BY-SA 2.0
picture 1: Sailko / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Sailko / CC BY 2.5;
picture 3: Mac9 / CC BY-SA 2.0
