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Torre del
Mangia in Siena
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Do you like
the landscapes, views and breathtaking views of the
cities you visit? Then you can't really help but
visit the Torre del Mangia di Siena, a
structure 88 meters high, from the top of
which you can admire the Duomo,
Piazza del
Campo, the entire city and the hills
that surround it. The name of this tower
derives from its first guardian, Mr.
Giovanni di Duccio, who amuses himself to waste
the money he earned in the city's taverns.
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 Precisely
for this reason his pampering was called the Mangiaguadagni, since he
was the first custodian of this building, and he who had to beat the hours,
the tower could only be called the Torre del Mangia. According to legend,
when the tower was built, coins were buried at his feet, whose task
was to bring luck and at the corners of the building there are stones, on
which there are engravings in Latin and Hebrew, another ritual
scaramantic to prevent natural disasters on the tower.
 This
tower has become one of the symbols of the city. It was built in 23 years
between 1325 and 1348 on a project by Lippo Memmi, brother-in-law of
Simone Martini, who designed the profile of the tower in 1311,88
meters high, but it was built by the brothers Minuccio and
Francesco di Rinaldo from Perugia, up to the lightning protection
comes to a height of 102 meters. The building is in terracotta and
travertine. In 1666 a bell was placed on its summit, which the inhabitants
call "Campanone" (big bell), or "Sunto" because the bell is dedicated to the
Madonna dell'Assunta, to which Siena had voted before the battle of
Monteaperti. The weight of the bell is 6,760 kg and due to a flaw at the
time of casting, its sound varies depending on where the clapper beats. The
bell bell is played by a man only on the day of the Palio, until the time
the horses come out, in the other days the tolls are played by an automatic
mechanism.
Later on, until 1780, an automaton was used which continued to be called "eat".
The first clock of the tower, manufactured by such Master Peverino,
dates back to 1360 and was replaced sixty years later by another one
designed by the Jesuit Giovanni da Milano. Those with good legs will
be able to take the staircase and 332 steps that climb up to the castle of
the bell tower from where you can gaze at Siena, at its full height on its
hilltop, and to the south on the Sienese mountain and Mount Amiata.
To visit the tower it is necessary to buy a ticket in the adjacent ticket
office, which closes at 15:15 in winter and at 18:15 in summer. In winter,
the tower is open every day from 10.00 to 16.00 hours. In the summer period
from 10.00 a. m. to 7.00 p. m. The only day in the year that remains closed
is Christmas Day. There is the possibility of buying cumulative tickets that
are valid for two days. No more than 50 visitors may enter the Tower at a
time.
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