Torre del Mangia

The Torre del Mangia soars above the Palazzo Pubblico on the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo in Siena, completed in 1348 and one of the tallest medieval towers in Italy at about 87 metres. It was built deliberately to match the height of the city's cathedral, a symbol of balance between civic and religious power. Its name derives from a lazy bell-ringer nicknamed Mangiaguadagni. Visitors climb more than 400 steps up the brick shaft to a stone crown with a sweeping panorama over the terracotta rooftops of Siena.