Torre degli Asinelli leaning tower is the highest in Italy and the name of the Tower Asinelli Maggiore and the name of the Tower Garisenda derive less from the families who commissioned its construction in ancient times occurred between 1109 and 1119.

In ancient times, the Torre degli Asinelli was not as high but still lower, about sixty meters and was subsequently raised to the current 97 meters. During the Fourteenth Century, the town became the owner using it as a simple but secure prison. Of course, being so high, over the centuries has suffered many damages caused by lightning that caused the fires and collapses, and in 1824 it was finally installed a rod. In 1640 and in the next century the two scientists Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Giovanni Battista Guglielmini did many experiments on the tower on the motion of the minor. During the Second World War, however the tower was used for the sighting of the bombing.

The Towers of Bologna is a real symbol of the city, formerly addirittuare there were a hundred, used as the basis of military defense and as a symbol of power of the rich and noble families of the period. Around the city can still be found in small towers or those that are the remains of them, especially at the gates of the second circle of walls of the twelfth century.

Over the last few centuries most of the towers was demolished for safety reasons, construction and urban restructuring, in fact lately the towers were used as private homes and shops but there was a major risk of land subsidence and the more fragile (the majority part) were culled.