The skyline of Bologna with its distinctive towers - power
symbols belonging to the richest families- was unmistakeable. It
must have been like the Manhattan of the medieval ages! There
were twin towers here too, only these have held up to centuries
of war and become the symbol of the city. They were
strategically located at the point of entry to the city on the
ancient Via Emilia. They used to be interconnected, with a
walkway and suspended passageways running everywhere. This is
difficult to imagine today when the towers now appear completely
separate from one another at the end of one of the city’s widest
streets. In addition to displaying family prestige, the towers
also served an important military function: defence. By the end
of the 12th century, there were a hundred of them throughout the
city. This is truly an astonishing number when you consider that
to build a 60 metre tower took anywhere from 3 to 10 years! Only
about twenty of these impressive buildings have survived the
fires, wars, and lighting