Torre degli Anziani – Padova – La più antica torre civica di Padova risalente al XIII secolo

The Torre degli Anziani is a public bell tower and the oldest civic building in Padua, already existing in the 12th century it geometrically presents itself as a building with a rectangular plan and has an overall height of about 48 meters. Externally, it has a clear Romanesque layout: the main front facing Oberdan Street has a basement of Istrian stone blocks on the ground floor, while the remaining front is made of brick.
It was the noble tower of the Camposampiero family, but in 1215 three years before the construction of Palazzo della Ragione began, it was sold to the civic community of the leader Tiso VI da Camposampiero, who was a prisoner of war and needed money to redeem himself.

In later years it was incorporated into the complex of public buildings: flanked by the Council Palace, a new red tower-so the old tower was covered with white lime, to recall the two colors of the city-and the Palace of the Elders, erected in 1285 and from which the tower takes its name.
The Tower, with its bell, defined the civil and political time of the city.
Over the centuries it was remodeled several times: in 1295 it was elevated and arranged to accommodate a large bell, which had arrived in the city as booty from the taking of Este; during the seventeenth century an octagonal lantern with a dome was added on top, on which a statue depicting Justice was placed.
After the 1695 earthquake, due to static problems the tower had, it was forbidden for the bells to be rung, for fear that the tower might collapse.
In 1938, work began to consolidate the structure and the lantern was removed, so the tower was lowered by almost ten meters.

Renovation and static consolidation work began in 2023, allowing the venue to be reopened, with a design that respects the ancient structures: vaults, wooden beams, historic chains, and the bell castle have been restored and preserved.
A system of metal stairs within a vertical space allows visitors to see the restored ancient facing inside the Palazzo Anziani and to access the original communication entrance between the tower and the Palazzo. Placed 16.00 meters above the ground.
A system of ramps of non-slip metal stairs, interspersed with landings for parking, allows one to ascend the building until reaching a first vault, which is then crossed to reach the belfry, where one of the largest bells in the Triveneto region is preserved on a wooden castle.

Above the belfry is access to the covered viewing terrace.