Many towns in Tuscany are dominated by towers and Vicopisano is no different! 

There were once more than a hundred visible towers here back in Medieval times before they were cut down to size by the famous Renaissance architect and engineer Brunelleschi under the orders of the Medici! However, that’s another history lesson for another day!

Today you can witness 13 visible towers in Vicopisano but there are many more if you look closely at the buildings in the Medieval centre which have been modified over time. Vicopisano, like the famous town of San Gimignano, also resembled a Medieval Manhattan in its heyday!

Brunelleschi’s watchtower The most dominating tower in Vicopisano which can be seen from every angle as you approach the village is now part of the fortress complex known as La Rocca of Brunelleschi which sits on the hill in the historic centre. 

The fortress was designed by the Renaissance engineer Brunelleschi who fortified an existing Medieval tower in the 15th Century. The 34 metre tower soars high above the village and is open to the public at weekends

Torre del’Orologio Meaning the Clock Tower – this beautiful tower can be dated back to between the early and mid-twelfth century.

It stands at about 27 metres high and is built almost entirely in Verrucano stone (a local stone found on Mount Verruca on the Monte Pisano)

It was possibly originally used as a residential tower house with an outside wooden structure that contained living quarters but was then repurposed from the 16th Century as a clock tower due to its considerable height. The clock preserved on the west side still has the mechanisms of the eighteenth century.

Other Towers 

Torri Gemelle (2)

Torre del Soccorso

Torre dei Seretti 

Torre delle Quattro Porte 

Torre Malanima 

Torre di Pietraia

4 cylindrical watchtowers along the restored wall

2 cylindrical towers in  Via Trombi