Towering Over Italy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lombardy

Located in southwest Lombardy, south of Milan and north of Genoa, Pavia is a city with a long and venerable history - having been a major political centre in the Middle Ages, as well as being the seat of a highly regarded university founded in 1361. Though it may not be as well known overseas as other Italian cities and towns, Pavia's cultural and artistic heritage is impressive, including many medieval churches and other buildings of note.

Pavia's characteristic towers, among the oldest erected in Italy in the Middle Ages, were built by noble families as symbols of their wealth and power rather than for defensive purposes. They usually stood at the corners of the blocks in which the city was divided. Based on various documents and depictions of the city, about 65 towers were erected in Pavia - about 20 of which have survived to this day. The two towers in the photo are part of a group of three - Torre Fraccaro, Torre del Maino and Torre dell'Orologio - standing in present-day Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, and now part of the University complex. The Torre del Maino (in the foreground), with a height of 51 m (167 ft), was one of the tallest buildings in medieval Italy; like most of the city's other towers, it was built of bricks over a foundation of stone.

Answer: Bologna

The regional capital of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna is one of Italy's oldest cities, having been founded by the Etruscans with the name of Felsina in the late 6th century BC. Its well-preserved historic centre - known for the reddish-brown colour of many of its buildings, which have earned the city the nickname of "La Rossa" (The Red One) - includes many medieval churches and civil buildings, as well as its extensive porticoes (added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021). The University of Bologna, which still draws students from all over the world, was founded in 1088.

In the Middle Ages, between the 12th and the 13th centuries - a period of political instability - over 180 towers were raised in Bologna, most of them defensive towers, some of which nearing 100 m (328 ft) in height. During the 13th century and later, many of these towers were demolished or collapsed. Now only 24 remain, the most prominent of which are the two leaning towers that stand not far from Piazza Maggiore, the city's central square, at the intersection of the roads leading to the five city gates. The tallest of the two, the Torre degli Asinelli, reaches a height of 97 m (318 ft), while the Garisenda, at 48 m (157 ft), is roughly half its height. The Garisenda is also the more heavily leaning of the two, and has recently caused concerns about its stability: at the time of writing, restoration is under way.

Answer: bricks and tuff

One of the largest cities in the northeastern region of Veneto, Verona is well known as the setting of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". It is also a beautiful city with a rich, diverse cultural and artistic heritage, which has earned it a designation as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Though the historic centre of Verona also features notable monuments from antiquity and the Renaissance, most of its fabric dates from the Middle Ages, when the city was ruled by the powerful Della Scala family.

A number of towers characterize Verona's skyline. The Torre dei Lamberti rears its graceful silhouette above the stately Piazza dei Signori (also known as Piazza Dante). It is the only one left of the four towers of the 12th-century Palazzo della Ragione, formerly the Town Hall, now a museum. The tower was erected by the eponymous noble family around 1172: it was much shorter and had alternating bands of red bricks and white tuff blocks. The upper part of the building, with its elegant Gothic windows and bell chamber, dates from the 15th century, while the clock was added in the late 18th century. Rising to a height of 84 m (275.5 ft), the Torre dei Lamberti is open to the public, and offers a stunning panoramic view of the city and its surroundings.

Answer: Trajan's Market

Though Rome boasts a relatively large number of medieval buildings, as a whole they tend to be overlooked by most tourists in favour of those dating from Ancient Roman times and the late Renaissance and Baroque eras. Most of those monuments are churches or other religious buildings, but a few of them were erected for other purposes - notably a number of fortified towers built by noble families, of which about 50 remain. While most of these towers are located outside the city centre, a few can be found near Rome's most popular sights.

The Torre delle Milizie (Tower of the Militia) stands at about 50 m (164 ft). Built of bricks on a square plan, it consists of three progressively tapering levels: however, the upper level was almost completely destroyed by the violent earthquake that struck Rome in 1349. The same disaster was responsible for the slight tilt of the tower, which has earned it the nickname of "Rome's leaning tower". The imposing building rises above Trajan's Market, a complex of shops and residences built in the early 2nd century AD. In spite of a legend connecting it with Emperor Nero and the Great Fire of Rome (64 AD), the Torre delle Milizie was erected in the early years of the 13th century by the Conti di Segni family. Its name is believed to stem from an ancient barracks that was once located on the same site.

Answer: San Gimignano

Even a cursory look at San Gimignano's skyline will explain the nickname of "Manhattan of the Middle Ages" that has been occasionally given to the town. Located in the beautiful countryside that lies between Siena and Florence, San Gimignano (named after Saint Geminianus, a 4th-century saint) is a remarkably well-preserved, walled medieval town also known for its white wine (Vernaccia di San Gimignano). A fictionalized version of it, named Monteriano, provides the setting for E.M. Forster's 1905 novel "Where Angels Fear to Tread".

San Gimignano's celebrated towers were mostly built in the 13th century, during the conflict between Guelphs and Ghibellins that caused a lot of unrest in Northern and Central Italy. Rival families vied with each other in erecting increasingly taller tower houses - until the local council put a stop to it. In the following centuries, most of those towers collapsed or were demolished. Of those that are still standing to this day, the tallest is the aptly-named Torre Grossa ("big tower"), with a height of 54 m (117 ft), while the oldest (and second-tallest at 51 m/167 ft) bears the rather amusing name of Torre Rognosa, or "troublesome tower", as it was used for a time as a prison.

San Marino is a sovereign state completely surrounded by Italy; San Pellegrino (of bottled water fame) is located in Lombardy, while San Valentino is not a place, but a saint celebrated on 14 February.

Answer: holm oak

Located about 30 km (18.6 mi) northeast of Pisa, Lucca is known for the monumental city walls that enclose a well-preserved historic centre. In the Middle Ages, the city became a hub for the silk trade, which contributed to its prosperity - while in the early 19th century it was briefly ruled by Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, one of Napoleon's sisters, who was responsible for transforming the walls into a pedestrian promenade.

Among the many beautiful sights offered by Lucca's old town, the Torre Guinigi stands out - and not just because of its respectable height of 45 m (148 ft). Built of red brick in the 1390s by the influential Guinigi family (who, like the Medici in Florence, were originally merchants and bankers), the tower rises above the family's palace, which is now owned by the municipality of Lucca. While most of the 250 towers that graced the city in the 14th century were either demolished or shortened in the 16th century, the Torre Guinigi has remained intact. The tiny garden at the top of the tower was probably planted by the Guinigi: the seven trees that lend the building its distinctive appearance are all holm oaks ("lecci" in Italian), evergreen oaks native to the Mediterranean region. A wonderful view of the surrounding countryside can be enjoyed from the top of the building, which can be reached by climbing 233 steps.

Answer: Torre del Mangia

For those who love medieval art and architecture, a visit to Siena is a must. This supremely photogenic hill city located about 60 km (37 mi) south of Florence boasts a stunning historic centre - encircled by almost intact walls and packed with palaces, churches and towers of every size. The horse race called the Palio, which takes place twice a year during the summer months, draws tourists from all over the world - as does Siena's unique cultural heritage.

One of Italy's tallest towers, the Torre del Mangia was erected between 1338 and 1348 as an addition to Siena's Palazzo Pubblico (Town Hall), one of Italy's major Gothic monuments. Built of red brick over a single block of tuff (a volcanic rock that is easily found in Central Italy), the tower rises to a height of 88 m (289 ft) - level with the bell tower of Siena's massive Cathedral, which is a few metres lower, but stands on higher ground. This was originally meant to emphasize the equal status of Church and state. The tower's elegant upper structure, made of white marble, has drawn comparisons to the petals of a lily or a tulip. The Torre del Mangia's distinctive name comes from tone of its first bellringers, a man named Giovanni di Balduccio, nicknamed "Mangiaguadagni" ("profit-eater") because of its alleged spendthrift tendencies and gluttony. This magnificent monument has inspired a number of towers built in the UK and the US in the late 19th century and early 20th century - such as the "Old Joe" Clock Tower of the University of Birmingham.

All three incorrect choices are historic towers found in Italy (Torre del Moro in Orvieto, Torre dell'Elefante in Cagliari, and Torre dell'Orologio in Padua and Venice).

Answer: Charles V

Because of its geographical conformation and location in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, for centuries Italy was a prime target for invaders coming from the sea - in particular those commonly known as Saracens (a term applied to Muslims from Western Asia and North Africa). The first coastal towers were built in the Middle Ages; however, construction of these defensive structure began to be carried out according to a precise plan with the advent of the Spanish-ruled Kingdom of Naples in 1501. Due to the alliance between France and the Ottoman Empire, Don Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Zúñiga, viceroy of Charles V of Habsburg, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, ordered the erection of a system of coastal towers in all the Kingdom of Naples - which included Southern Italy and Sicily.

According to various documents of that era, it seems those towers numbered over 350. While many of them were destroyed or abandoned in the intervening centuries, quite a few of them survive in good condition - as is the case of the Torre Talao in the town of Scalea, on the Tyrrhenian coast of northern Calabria. The square, three-storey tower was built on a rocky islet in 1563 by order of Philip II of Spain's viceroy. Now the symbol of the town, it is frequently visited by tourists because of its scenic location, which allows gorgeous views of the coast and the sea.

Charles V (1500-1558) was the son of Joanna of Castile (known as "The Mad"), daughter of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. The three Holy Roman Emperors mentioned as wrong answers all ruled in the Middle Ages, and none of them were also Kings of Spain.

Answer: Second Italian War of Independence

In the 19th century, the Romantic movement brought a fresh wave of interest for the culture and art of the Middle Ages - which resulted in the construction of a large number of buildings inspired by medieval architecture. While many prominent examples of this revival are found in Western and Northern Europe - in particular the United Kingdom in the Victorian era - as well as the US, Italy was not immune to the "neo-medieval" trend. At the turn of the 20th century, many religious and secular buildings inspired by Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic architecture were erected throughout the newly unified country.

As towers are often regarded as a symbol of the Middle Ages, it is not surprising that a patriotic monument built in 1880-1893 to commemorate the pivotal battle of San Martino (24 June 1859) was designed in the shape of a Gothic tower. The battle, which took place near the town of Desenzano del Garda, on the southwestern shore of Italy's largest lake, was fought (and won) by the armies of the Kingdom of Sardinia and France against the Austrian Empire. The round, tapering turret stands at a height of 74 m (243 ft) on top of a small hill; it is built of stone with crenellations of red brick. The large entrance hall is decorated with frescoes depicting major events in the life of Victor Emmanuel II, Italy's first king, whose bronze statue stands in the centre. The top of the tower, which offers a wonderful view of the surroundings, can be reached by a spiraling ramp, whose walls are also decorated by frescoes depicting events related to the struggle for Italian unification.

Answer: a synagogue

Lying on the Po River, almost at the foot of the Alps (as shown in the photo), Turin is one of Italy's most populous cities, and the country's first capital. Most of the city's grandiose architecture dates from the Baroque era, when Turin was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. However, some of its most representative buildings were erected around the time of Italian unification or at the turn of the 20th century - as is the case of the iconic Mole Antonelliana, the undisputed symbol of the city.

Named for its architect, Alessandro Antonelli, the Mole (an Italian word that denotes something of imposing size) was initially conceived as a synagogue, and its construction financed by Turin's Jewish community after the Albertine Statute of 1848 had granted religions other than Roman Catholicism full civil rights. Construction began in 1863, shortly after Italian unification, and was completed in 1889. The original plan was for a much shorter building (47 m/154 ft), but after Antonelli was brought in its height more than doubled, requiring the implementation of a series of modern techniques. The current building, with its distinctive square-based dome and soaring spire, reaches a height of 167,5 m (550 ft): the spire was broken by a violent thunderstorm in 1953, but was rebuilt soon afterwards.

When it was completed, the Mole was Europe's tallest masonry building, and it is still (according to various sources) the world's tallest unreinforced brick building. Home to the National Museum of Cinema since 2000, it is also believed to be the world's tallest museum.