This tower on Siena’s Piazza del Campo was built between 1338-1348 to the same height (88 meters / 289 feet) as the Siena cathedral to show the equal power of church and state and was one of the tallest secular towers in medieval Italy. It is named after its first attendant, Giovanni di Balduccio, whose nickname was “Mangiaguadagni” (literally ‘earning eater’) because he spent all his earnings on food and drink.

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