- Art & Culture
Torrazzo and Vertical Museum
The symbol of the town and the museum dedicated to time-measuring
The symbol of the town and the museum dedicated to time-measuring.
Exactly near the Cathedral, on the Municipality Square, juts the magnificent Torrazzo, the famous bell-tower that is 112 meters high. The modern aspect of this tower is the result of two different overlapped structures: a Romanic tower that dates back to 1267 and a second one with a cusp and an octagonal layout. It was probably completed in 1305, but the ball and the cross at the top date back to the 17th Century.
The astronomic clock of the tower, that shows the motion of the stars and the moon phases, was installed in 1583. The mechanism is still the original one and the current dial, instead, was re-painted in 1970. The bells are seven, each one dedicated to a Saint. One in particular is dedicated to the Saint of the town, Saint Omobono.
At the end of 2018 it was opened the Vertical Museum in the Torrazzo tower. In the museum the visitors can admire the external part of the great tower and follow a fascinating path dedicated to time-measuring. In the Dial Room and in the Room of the clockwork it is possible to admire all the characteristics of the clock's functioning, in the Room of Time-measuring it is illustrated the history f the motion of the stars. Inside of it, thanks to the particular building characteristics of the tower Torrazzo, it possible to admire the famous Foucault's Pendulum. Its motion is the scientific demonstration of the Rotation of the Earth.
From the highest part of the tower the view on the town and on the river is breath-taking: it is worth a visit!
Opening hours
Weekdays and Holidays: 10.00 a.m. 1.00 p.m. - 2.30 p.m./6.00 p.m.
Last climb 30 minutes before the closure.
On Mondays in January, February, Easter, Feast of the Assumption, 25th-26th-31st of December (afternoon), New year's Eve (morning)
It is possible to book a visit at another hour