The Torre del Mangia
The wonderful Piazza del Campo would not be one of the most famous squares in the world if it did not integrate the fantastic Torre del Mangia, symbol of elegance and power and finished erecting around 1348.
87 meters high, begun in 1325 by the brothers Francesco and Muccio di Rinaldo, owes its name to the famous Giovanni di Balduccio.
Giovanni di Balduccio was the first keeper of the Tower and had a vice that the story later turned into legend: it was a prodigal.
Each of his earnings was literally eaten in the best of the Sienese Osteries and that is the reason why he was nicknamed the Mangiaguadagni.
From here the name of the Torre del Mangia, the Tower of the Palazzo Pubblico di Siena.
This tower has always played both a civic and religious function during the Poles and also holds another secret.
It is said that the stones in the four corners of the Tower contain some lucky coins engraved with mysterious Hebrew and Latin letters.
This was a very common practice of the Middle Ages and was performed to symbolically defend the towers from lightning and other calamities.
Regarding its bell, was installed in 1666, weighs 6760 kg and is called by the Sienese Campanone , a work with a peculiarity, the strange and out of tune that becomes acceptable only if caused exclusively by a handmade clapper.
This happens only during the day of the Palio, while for the rest of the days an automatic system is active.
The Torre del Mangia is full of legends and stories that the Sienese handed down from generation to generation and is a monumental work that enhances and embellishes the entire Piazza.
If you want to see this attraction of Siena and all the others in the Center, you should stay in a hotel in the historic center.
Hotel Minerva is one of the most popular solutions for tourists because in addition to being a hotel in Siena near Piazza del Campo it is not in the ZTL area and at the same time contains a large covered parking for a fee of 20 places.
Book it yourself and choose one of our rooms with a panoramic view of the Centro Storico Senese.
Use our booking system above or call us directly at 0577 28 44 74 and you will always have the best price guaranteed.
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