Torre Apponale

Torre Apponale stands beside the old port at Piazza III Novembre in Riva del Garda. The medieval stone tower rises 34 metres and is crowned by the golden angel known locally as l’Anzolim de la Tor.

Why it matters

The tower’s changing roles reflect Riva’s civic history. Built by the Bonvicini family as a stronghold, it passed to the prince-bishops and later served as a civic clocktower and prison. Its position at the port made it part of the town’s defences and public life.

What to notice

• The original entrance, about eight metres above ground, a defensive feature of the medieval structure.
• The clock and the bronze bell la Renga, part of the tower’s civic role.
• The golden angel weather vane above the hipped roof, which replaced an earlier onion-shaped roof in the early twentieth century.

Context and history

The Bonvicini built the tower in the early thirteenth century despite a demolition order from Prince-Bishop Federico Wanga; the family was later pardoned, and the tower passed to the prince-bishops as a feudal holding. In the mid-sixteenth century it was raised to about its present height. Records document a clock tradition by the fifteenth century and a town bell cast in 1532. The tower also served as a prison and, during the First World War, as an observation post. Its name is usually linked to the Ponale shore across the water.