Torre Bissara

Torre Bissara is a tower in Vicenza, located near the city’s Basilica Palladiana. With its height of 82 meters (269 feet), it is the tallest building in the city and one of the tallest bell towers in Italy.

The original tower was built in 1174 by the Bissara family, but it was later bought by the municipality of Vicenza. After surviving a strong earthquake that hit the area in 1348, the tower was renovated during the 15th century and increased in size to its current height. A World War II bombing damaged the structure in 1945, but it was rebuilt in the following years and a larger restoration project further repaired the tower in the early 2000s. 

A unique feature of the tower is the particular melody it plays only twice a day, in addition to the normal sounds of the hours and half-hours. Composed by Maestro Valtinoni, this special melody plays at just 11:53 a.m. and 5:53 p.m.