Torre della Ghirlandina
The Torre della Ghirlandina or simply Ghirlandina is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Standing at 86.12 metres, the tower is the traditional symbol of Modena, being visible from all directions outside the city.
The structure was set up in 1179 on five floors, initially called Torre di San Geminiano. To compete with Bologna's towers, the commune added the characteristic octagonal cusp, designed by Arrigo da Campione, one of the numerous masters from Campione who took part in the cathedral's renovation in the 13th-15th centuries. The top of the tower is decorated with two ghirlande (two marble railings), whence the name.
In the interior, the Sala della Secchia room (with 15th-century frescoes) is home of a copy of the depiction of the Secchia rapita, a memory of the tower's former role as treasury of the Modenese commune. Also notable are the sculpted capitals in the Sala dei Torresani hall, in the fifth floor. The five bells are tuned in C major, cast during renaissance period.
Civic Tower (Pavia)
The Civic Tower (Italian: Torre Civica) was a tower built in the Italian city of Pavia in the 11th century, next to Pavia Cathedral. Built to a rectangular footprint, it was 72 metres (236 feet) high.
Between 1583 and 1585 the architect Pellegrino Tibaldi led works to add a room at the top of the tower to house the cathedral's bells, which it did until it was moved to a campanile of the Cathedral. On 17 March 1989, at 8.55 a.m., the Civic Tower collapsed, leaving 8,000 cubic metres (280,000 cubic feet) of brick, sand and granite rubble. The collapse killed four people and injured fifteen. It has not been rebuilt, though some elements from it are now on display at the city's Castello Visconteo.
References
Civic Tower (Varese)
The Civic Tower of Varese or Littoria Tower (Italian: Torre Civica o Torre Littoria) is a square-shape tower, designed and built in the Fascist period. It is part of Piazza Monte Grappa.
It was designed by the Roman architect Mario Loreti and inaugurated in 1933, as part of the construction of Piazza Monte Grappa at the promotion of Varese as the provincial capital.
Gallery
The Tower by night.
The Tower by night.
