Torre del Mangia

The Torre del Mangia so called because from 1347 to 1360 the City gave this task to Giovanni Balducci nicknamed "Eat" or "Mangiaguadagni" to strike the hours, so named because it seems that it was a scialaquone, after which he was replaced by an automaton in memory of his first batter was called Eat. The remains of this automaton are now preserved in the Cortile del Podestà. The tower symbol of power and elegance was started by the brothers Francesco and Muccio of Rinaldo in 1325 and completed around 1348 .The tower 87 meters high and well up to 102 lightning rod, is cooked until the crown, under the belfry is in travertine, this last part is the work of Agostino di Giovanni (Sienese sculptor) design by Lippo Memmi. In 1666, after several attempts at fusion was placed a large bell that Siena called the "Great Bell" also called "Summary" because dedicated to the Virgin Mary.