Torre Civica di Asolo

Asolo's Civic Tower, also known as the clock tower, is one of four towers associated with the Castello della Regina Cornaro, a castle documented in 969.

Why it matters

The tower stands on a rocky spur at the edge of Asolo's historic centre. The castle complex later became the residence of Caterina Cornaro, queen of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia, who lived in Asolo from 1489 until her death in 1510. The tower's successive military and civic roles reflect the changing uses of the castle.

What to notice

The tower's form reflects successive phases of construction and alteration, including rebuilding in stone during the tenth and eleventh centuries and later changes. Its name Torre dell'Orologio recalls its role as the town's clock tower. Together with the Rocca on Monte Ricco, it formed part of Asolo's defensive landscape.

Context and history

The castle appears in the Edict of Pergine issued by Otto I in 969. It was remodelled under the Ezzelini in the twelfth century, the Carraresi in the thirteenth and the Venetians in the fourteenth. Under Venetian rule the complex became the seat of the podestà. Caterina Cornaro made it her residence and court from 1489 to 1510; figures associated with her circle included painter Lorenzo Lotto and writer Pietro Bembo. After nineteenth-century demolitions reduced the complex, the surviving tower passed into the care of Asolo's civic museum.