City of Towers

Imagine you're in the Middle Ages, on your way to Bologna over the Apennine foothills from Florence (that's walking, most likely, or horseback if you're a nobleman or a military captain, or on a mule if you're a posh cleric). If it's a clear day, you will see the city ten miles before you reach it, and it's an astounding sight: a dense forest of slender towers glittering on the plain, the skyline of a proper modern city.

It's hard to imagine, but most north Italian cities were like this. Before the 20th-century Americans, no people in history had such an insatiable lust for verticality as the medieval Italians. Between church campaniles, public buildings and private fortifications, towers of over 200 feet (and up to 500) were extremely common. The 'Two Towers' that serve as the mighty landmarks of Bologna's city centre today are among the few survivors. The remains or sites of 194 others have been located so far, and no doubt quite a few have disappeared altogether.