Torre di Catiline - Pistoa - Tuscany

The Torre di Catiline (Tower of Catiline) is located in a corner of Pistoia's beautiful Piazza del Duomo. It served as a watchtower and is one of the few remaining in the city. The tower, built entirely of cut stone and axes, is about 30 meters high and has a rectangular plan.

The tower is named after the Roman Lucius Sergius Catiline, who went down in history for conspiring against the Roman Senate to gain power. Before marching to Rome, Catiline decided to move north, where he would gather forces to organize an army large enough and well-motivated. However, he was confronted with an unforeseen event that changed his plans: while passing through the mountains of Pistoia, he was confronted by some legions that had barricaded the entrance to the Via Emilia near Bologna.
It was precisely in these areas that a bloody clash took place, in which the Roman army prevailed, so much so that Catiline herself was badly wounded, captured by his enemies and later executed. Catiline's body was buried in Via Tomba di Catiline next to Piazza del Duomo in Pistoia, and on that occasion the tower that bears his name and is thought to "watch" over the place where the famous battle took place was also built .

In the Middle Ages it was used as a tower house, initially for defensive purposes and later for commercial purposes, with a shop on the ground floor. Later it was given the name "tower of the spheres" because of the presence of the Medici coat of arms embedded in the facade. In 1669 this coat of arms was replaced by that of the de'Rossi family, who became the owner. In 1815, it passed into the hands of the municipality of Pistoia, which, at the end of the 20th century, took on the renovation work, in particular the renewal of the roof. In addition, a beautiful terrace was built on the top, providing an excellent vantage point over the square and the rest of the city.

It is currently not possible to visit the inside of the tower.

Willem Vandenameele