Two Towers of Bologna, Bologna, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Two Towers (Le Due Torri) are the Asinelli and the Garisenda, a pair of medieval brick towers that stand side by side in Piazza di Porta Ravegnana in Bologna, Italy. Built in the early 12th century, they are the best-known symbol of the city and the most striking survivors of a skyline that once bristled with towers.

The story behind it

In medieval Bologna, powerful families raised towers as statements of wealth and strength, and the city had dozens of them. The Asinelli was built between 1109 and 1119 and rises about 97 metres, making it the taller of the pair by far. Its neighbour, the Garisenda, began to lean when the ground beneath it gave way. In the 14th century it was shortened to keep it safe, and today it stands at roughly 48 metres. Dante knew its tilt and mentioned the Garisenda in his Inferno.

The Asinelli also served science. In the late 1700s the physicist Giovanni Battista Guglielmini dropped lead balls from its top to look for evidence of the Earth's rotation, and he recorded a slight drift to the east. Right beside the towers stands the Gothic Palazzo della Mercanzia, built in the late 14th century, a reminder that this crossroads was a centre of trade where merchants' guilds held real power.

What to look for

• The visible tilt of the Garisenda, which is easiest to appreciate when you stand at the base and look straight up its brick walls.
• The sheer height of the Asinelli, whose slim brick shaft dominates the skyline from many streets across the old town.
• The Gothic Palazzo della Mercanzia on the edge of the square, with its decorated facade and balcony, built for the city's merchants.
• The way the two towers line up from different angles, which makes the difference in their height and lean obvious.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes to see the towers from the square, and more if you plan to climb the Asinelli, which has 498 steps. Check current opening hours and booking rules before you go.
• Students are traditionally told not to climb until they graduate, or they will never finish their degree. It is a local superstition, so take it as you like.
• Early morning or late afternoon gives softer light on the brick and a calmer square.
• Several of Bologna's main streets start here, so the towers make a natural first stop on a walk through the old centre.

See it on a quest

Old Town Bologna: Murder Mystery brings you to the towers on foot as one stop on a longer route through the old town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers your whole group.

Bologna 1252 Conspiracy of the Two Towers: A Murder Hunt is built around this very spot and its medieval past. You walk between the stops, hear the history of each place as you reach it, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Bologna: Revenge of the Tortellini mixes the city's food culture into a walk past the towers and the streets around them. At each stop the app gives you the story of the place and a puzzle to solve there. One ticket covers the whole group.