Torrazzo, the symbol of Cremona, is the highest bell tower in Europe

The tallest bell tower in Europe is in Italy, in one of the most beautiful squares in the Belpaese: it is the Torrazzo of Cremona, of which it has become the symbol.

Let’s find out everything there is to know about this amazing monument.

Where is the Torrazzo?

As mentioned, we are in the city of Cremona, in Lombardy, about an hour and a half from Milan.

The Torrazzo stands out in the spectacular city square, called Piazza del Comune, which is also overlooked by the Palazzo Comunale, the Baptistery and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

What is the Torrazzo?

The Torrazzo, as its name suggests, is a tower 112 and a half metres high. Or rather two towers, one on top of the other. The first tower was built in the Romanesque style in 1267. Around the beginning of the 14th century another tower with an octagonal cusp, built in the Gothic style, was added on top of it.

A ball and a cross, dating from a later period, stand out on the top, and date back to the 17th century. The Torrazzo also has an astronomical clock built in 1583, whose original mechanism is still fully functional. It indicates the phases of the moon and the movements of the planets.

The seven bells of the Torrazzo

The Torrazzo bell tower houses seven bells dedicated to seven saints, associated with the seven musical notes. The most important is the central bell dedicated to Saint Omobono, patron saint of Cremona, who the city celebrates on 13 November. The bell weighs an impressive 3,270 kg.

The other bells are dedicated to:

• Saint Barbara Eurasia;
• Saint Anthony of Padua;
• Saint Nicholas of Tolentino;
• Saint Agatha;
• Saint Teresa;
• Saint Mary of Loreto.

The Vertical Torrazzo Museum

Since its inauguration in 2018, the bell tower has housed the Vertical Torrazzo Museum, which is divided into different rooms that illustrate how the clock works. There is also a reproduction of Foucault’s pendulum that demonstrates the Earth’s rotation.

The museum’s seven rooms are located on seven different levels of the tower and you can discover them as you climb to the top. The last one is the terrace with its panoramic view.

The view from the Torrazzo

The last stop on the ascent to the top of the Torrazzo, at the end of 502 steps, is the panoramic terrace. You can only go up on foot, so put your best foot forward. The effort will be rewarded… we promise.

During the ascent you can stop in the various rooms of the Vertical Museum to rest and take in the exhibition, before embarking on the last stretch of a spiral staircase with narrower steps that lead to the top of the tower.

The view is spectacular: from here you can admire the whole city and even see the river Po.

Article translated by Jasmina Towers

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