The towers of Bologna are buildings of medieval origin located in that city of the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy). Between the 12th and 13th centuries, the number of towers built was enormous. The figure of 180 has been mentioned, but scholars consider this figure an exaggeration, the result of an incorrect interpretation of the notary texts of the time.
The reasons why so many towers were erected are unclear. It tends to be thought that the richest families of the city, at a time marked by the struggles between the adependent factions to the Pontificate and the Holy Roman Empire, used them as an instrument of attack and defense and, above all, as a symbol of power.
Throughout the 13th century, many towers were demolished and some collapsed. In later times, they were used in various ways: as prisons, shops or places of stay. The last demolitions occurred in 1917, when the Artenisi and Riccadonna towers were demolished for the sake of new urban planning.
The Garisenda tower and the Asinelli tower are the two most famous still standing today, although the first has a degree of inclination with respect to the vertical of 3.2 meters; the degree of inclination of the second is 1.3 meters.
The Asinelli, the highest, has a height of 97.6 meters. At the time of its construction it did not exceed 60 meters, being subsequently enlarged. In the fourteenth century it became the property of the city, being intended successively as a fortress and prison.
Garisenda is 48 metres tall. At the time of its construction it measured 60 meters, but in the fourteenth century it was cut because the land where it had been built was giving way. The Garisenda tower is famous for being cited by Dante several times, both in the Divine Comedy and in his Rhymes. The names Of Asinelli and Garisenda come from the families who were traditionally credited with building them. However, there is no reliable evidence.
In more recent times, already in the middle of the twentieth century a practical utility was given to the highest of the towers, installing a repeater of the RAI at the top of the Asinelli tower. During World War II, the tower was used as an observation point by volunteers stationed at the top of the tower during Allied bombings to indicate to the relief media the points where the bombs had hit.