Teetering at a staggering angle, and rivaling the Leaning Tower of Pisa for gravity-defying architecture, Bologna’s Two Towers - Due Torri - are relics of the city’s warfaring medieval past.
Known as Garisenda and Asinelli, the towers were built to provide defensive protection, as an early-warning lookout, and to impress and outdo the neighbors.
In medieval days, more than 100 towers dotted the horizon, but today less than 20 have survived.
You can climb the 498 steps to the top of the tallest tower, the Asinelli, built by the family of that name in 1119, for fabulous views of Bologna and the surrounding countryside. The tower stands 97 m (318 feet) high.
Its shorter contemporary, Garisenda, leans too steeply to climb.
The Two Towers are a few streets east of Piazza Maggiore in the old city.
