Torre Prendiparte o Coronata

Torre Prendiparte (Prendiparte Tower), also known as Coronata Tower, was built in the 12th century by the guelph Prendiparte family as a means of defence. It is 60 meters high, thus being the second one in terms of height after the Asinelli Tower. It was supposed to be even higher in the beginning and it seems it was then reduced for some obscure reason.

Thanks to recent restoration works, the 12 floors of the structure are now totally accessible. This tower, along with the others is one of the oldest buildings still preserved. Thanks to the typical "Bolognese" red and solid bricks and to the strong selenite blocks the tower looks like an impregnable medieval fortress. The Prendiparte Tower was built on behalf of the powerful Cardinal Paleotti, and was contended for centuries. First, It was used as an extension of the Archdiocesan Seminary. Later, the Seminary moved to another location and in 1751 Cardinal Lambertini, Pope Benedict XIV, used it as the Archbishop's prison for crimes against religion or, Christian ethics.

In the rooms of the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors, once used as cells, there are still some reddish inscriptions and graffiti (mainly lamentations and allegories, now visible thanks to recent renovation works), written through the use of some pieces of the bricks that formed the tower. Instead, the first three floors were turned into a house at the end of 18th century when the Tower was seized by Napoleon's troops. The most recent changes may be traced back to that period, when some big windows were built so to create a better place to live.

Climbing up the safe stairs to the top floor, you can reach a large terrace where, thanks to a safe parapet, you can look out and admire the beautiful view over the roofs, buildings, hills and plains of Bologna . The tower now has a different purpose: it is used as a guest house for events and fascinating and evocative soujourns.