The skyline's twin emblems, one leaning, both under watchful care
Photo: Sterling Lanier · Unsplash License
Why go
Built between 1109 and 1119, the Torre degli Asinelli reaches 97.2 metres, with 498 steps inside. Its neighbour, raised in the same years by Filippo and Oddo dei Garisendi, began to lean while it was still being built, as the ground beneath it subsided, and it was lowered in 1355 to about 47 metres. Dante noticed it: a plaque at Piazza di Porta Ravegnana 19 quotes his lines on the Carisenda from Inferno XXXI.
Since October 2023 the Comune di Bologna has kept the Asinelli closed to visitors and the square at the towers' feet fenced off while the Garisenda is made safe. You cannot climb today, but the towers remain the city's compass point. Look at them from the surrounding streets, follow the restoration, for which the Mayor has set a 2028 target, and come back to climb when the stairs reopen.
Gallery
Photo: Sterling Lanier · Unsplash License
Photo: Petr Slováček · Unsplash License · source
Photo: Joshua Kettle · Unsplash License · source
Photo: Joshua Kettle · Unsplash License · source
Photo: Ogeday · Pexels License · source
Highlights
The taller tower was built between 1109 and 1119. It was originally about 60 metres high and was later raised to its present 97.2 metres, with 498 steps inside, and it belonged to the Asinelli family in the 13th century. The climb has been closed to the public since October 2023, when the Comune began new monitoring of the neighbouring Garisenda.
The Garisenda leans because the ground gave way while it was being built. Originally about 60 metres tall, it was lowered in the 14th century because of the risk of collapse. The Comune describes the state of its base as seriously critical because of the deterioration of its materials, and the University of Bologna is studying the base's selenite on 44 aged laboratory samples.
From late 2023 a containment belt of weighted metal modules, rockfall nets and micropile foundations went up around the Garisenda. In 2026 work moved on to the foundations for two pulling machines adapted from those used at the Tower of Pisa: 70 micropiles in all, starting with 34 piles 21 metres deep under the northern plinth. The machines will apply light, controlled pulls.
A plaque at Piazza di Porta Ravegnana 19 quotes Dante's Inferno, canto XXXI, opening with 'Qual pare a riguardar la Carisenda': the poet's image of the leaning tower seen from beneath its slope as a cloud drifts over it. It is a reminder that the Garisenda's lean was already famous when Dante wrote, centuries before today's sensors.
Practical information
From the official website:
Torre degli Asinelli: closed to the public. The Comune di Bologna closed the tower to visitors in October 2023 for new monitoring of the Garisenda, and Piazza di Porta Ravegnana stays closed and fenced until the Garisenda restoration is complete. No reopening date appeared in the Comune releases checked (latest dated 1 June 2026).
No climb tickets on sale while the Asinelli is closed. The towers can be seen free of charge from the surrounding streets.
Checked on the official sources in November 2026. Hours can change on holidays: check the official website before you go.
Getting there
The towers are about a 5-minute walk from Piazza Maggiore. The square at their feet, Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, is closed and fenced, so view them from the surrounding streets.
Bus routes and traffic around the towers were changed when the Garisenda area closed in October 2023. Plan your route with TPER's journey planner and buy tickets in TPER's official ROGER app.
The historic centre is a camera-controlled limited-traffic zone (ZTL). Leave the car in a car park outside the centre and walk in, or ask your hotel how access works.
Insider tips
With the square at their feet fenced off, the towers are best taken in from the streets around Piazza di Porta Ravegnana or from a raised viewpoint, where the Garisenda's lean shows clearly against the straight Asinelli.
For a view over the red roofs while the Asinelli is closed, the Clock Tower of Palazzo d'Accursio on Piazza Maggiore is the nearest tower climb. Times and prices could not be verified on an official page, so check them before you go.
The Comune runs an Art Bonus campaign for the towers through sosteniamoleduetorri.it. By August 2026 it had received about €3.33 million against a €3.3 million target, and the fundraising was still open to individuals and companies.
In the centre
Historic-centre restaurants and hotels from the Bologna City Guide, each with its own Holiplanet page.
Historic restaurant
Tortellini in brodo and lasagne verdi since 1909
Discover more →Traditional restaurant
Handmade tortellini and tagliatelle in Bologna since 1948
Discover more →Chef's restaurant
Mario Ferrara's Lucanian-rooted cooking in a 1600s convent
Discover more →Wine bar / osteria
Wine osteria since 1465: bring your own food
Discover more →Hotel
Romantic 3-star hotel in the ancient Quadrilatero
View hotel →Boutique hotel
12th-century building facing San Petronio's Gothic windows
View hotel →Unique stay
Sleep inside a 12th-century tower, sixty metres above Bologna
View hotel →All restaurants on the Bologna map → All hotels on the Bologna map →
Questions
Not at the moment. The Comune di Bologna closed the Torre degli Asinelli to visitors in October 2023, when it started new monitoring of the neighbouring Garisenda and fenced off Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. In the Comune press releases we checked, up to June 2026, no reopening date had been announced.
The Torre degli Asinelli is 97.2 metres tall and has 498 steps. The Garisenda was originally about 60 metres high but was lowered in 1355 to about 47 metres because of the risk of collapse. Both date from the early 12th century; the Asinelli was built between 1109 and 1119.
Because the ground beneath it subsided while it was being built, according to the Comune's history portal. It has leaned ever since. Today the materials of its base, including selenite, have deteriorated to a seriously critical condition, which is why the Comune is carrying out a long safety and restoration project.
The Comune uses an observational method: the effect of each step is checked against monitoring data before the next, so phases can be paused or changed. In February 2026 the Mayor set 2028 as the target year, and in June 2026 drilling began on the first of 70 micropiles for the pulling machines.
Yes. Since October 2023 Piazza di Porta Ravegnana has been closed and fenced, and the Comune has said it will stay closed until the Garisenda restoration is complete. A containment belt of metal modules and rockfall nets surrounds the tower to protect the public and the nearby buildings.
