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The two Towers: “Garisenda and degli Asinelli” – Bologna

Upon leaving Venice, the city of Bologna is the obvious choice for another stop on our adventure through Italy. Bologna is the capital of the “Emilia-Romagna” region in northern Italy. It is also an important transport hub, in particular its Bologna Centrale station, which serves as a crossroads for all the main train systems in Italy.

Bologna is known for its food, its churches and its towers, twenty-one (21) still existing. It is precisely two towers of Bologna; “Garisenda” and “Torre degli Asinelli”, the most recognized symbols of the city.

These structures are located at the intersection of the main artery of the city. Vias Castiglioni, Rizzoli and San Vitale with the Strada Maggiore. These venues lead to the five gates of the old walled and medieval city.

The “Garisenda” tower is the leaning tower of Bologna. One of the many leaning towers found in Italy, although it is the leaning tower of the bell tower of the Cathedral of Pisa that is more widely known. The tower “Garisenda” reached the height of 47 meters (a little more than 51 yards), before the ground gave in due to the tower’s weight.

The “Torre degli Asinelli” is the tallest medieval leaning tower in Italy at 97 meters high. Of course, its inclination is not as severe as the leaning bell tower of Pisa.

The two towers are next to the “Church of Saints Bartolomeo e Gaetano”.

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