La Rocca

The austere La Rocca, also known as the Guaita, or First Tower, is the oldest of the three defensive towers that overlook the city. Dating back to the 11th century, it was given a few licks and spits in the 19th and 20th centuries. The structure was chipped straight out of the stone surface without recourse to foundations, and promptly pressed into service as a guard tower and refuge post.

The entrance of the pentagonal structure displays the republic’s baroque coat of arms, purloined from the Palazzo Publico. It also has a picture-book bell tower (as every fortress should) and, built a few years after the bell tower, a tower of penance – which always comes in handy when you’re talking medieval punishment. Up until 1970 the Rocca was still a working prison, but these days tourists are free to roam unhindered around most of the fortress.