“Can you imagine this tower standing tall even before the Renaissance graced Florence?” whispered a man to his companion, gesturing towards the Torre dei Foresi. “It truly is a survivor.”
The Torre dei Foresi, an elegant tower before you, is indeed a testament to medieval Florence. It has witnessed centuries of history, surviving battles and urban transformations. Constructed sometime in the 13th century, it originally belonged to the Monaldi family. The Monaldi, a powerful Ghibelline family, eventually lost possession of the tower to the Guelph Foresi family, likely through inheritance.
The Torre dei Foresi, like much of Florence, wasn’t always bathed in peaceful sunlight. After the tumultuous Battle of Montaperti in 1260, the tower faced partial destruction. However, it rose again, a testament to the city’s resilience. By the 15th century, the tower changed hands, becoming the property of the Della Palla family and later the Pandolfini family. Its story echoes the shifting powers and allegiances that shaped Florence.
What you see today, this splendid isolation in the Piazza de’ Davanzati, is largely thanks to the urban renewal efforts of the late 19th century. Imagine the city before this piazza, a tangle of narrow streets and structures encroaching upon the tower. During the “Risanamento,” these buildings were demolished, creating the piazza and giving the Torre dei Foresi its present prominence. Although the tower underwent restorations, it remains a remarkable example of medieval architecture, a glimpse into Florence’s past before the Renaissance.