Photo: Quaro75, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fortress / Tower
Civic Tower
Collapsed medieval bell tower in Pavia, Italy
At a glance
- Type
- Fortress / Tower
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 45°11′06″ N, 9°09′11″ E
- Address
- Piazza Duomo, 8
History and description
The Civic Tower (Italian: Torre Civica) was a tower built in the Italian city of Pavia in the 11th century, next to Pavia Cathedral. Built to a rectangular base, it was 72 metres (236 feet) high. The tower collapsed in 1989 and has not been rebuilt.
Description
Between 1583 and 1585, the architect Pellegrino Tibaldi led works to add a room at the top of the tower to house the cathedral's bells, which it did until it was moved to a campanile of the cathedral.
On 17 March 1989, at 8:55 a.m., the Civic Tower collapsed, leaving 8,000 cubic metres (280,000 cubic feet) of brick, sand and granite rubble. The collapse killed four people and injured fifteen. It has not been rebuilt, though some elements from it are now on display at the city's Castello Visconteo.
After the tower's collapse, the Italian government closed the Leaning Tower of Pisa on 7 January 1990 over concerns that the popular tourist site might also be at risk of collapse.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Civic Tower».
Photos
Getting there
PaviaTrain, nearest
800 m as the crow flies
Civic TowerPiazza Duomo, 8
Aeroporto di Milano-Linate30.3 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore fortresses and towers in Lombardy
- UNESCO
- UNESCO
- UNESCO
Frequently asked questions
Where is Civic Tower?
Civic Tower is in Pavia, in the province of Pavia (Lombardy), Italy. Address: Piazza Duomo, 8. GPS coordinates: 45.18496, 9.15299.
What else is there to see near Civic Tower?
Nearby you’ll find: Diocesan Museum of Pavia (100 m away), Palazzo Vescovile di Pavia (100 m away), Palazzo Beccaria (100 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Resti torre civica 3 — Quaro75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Pavia - Torre Civica - Diagramma delle rovine — Ysogo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pavia - Torre Civica - Resti — Ysogo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Resti Torre Civica Pavia — Elena Carmagnola, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rovine della Torre civica di Pavia — Pierangelo66, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rovine-torre-civica-di-pavia — Bersano.edoardo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sito Resti Torre Civica Pavia — Elena Carmagnola, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Torre Civica di Pavia — Archivio Studio Tecnico Macchi / Archivio Progetti dell'Università Iuav di Venezia, Fondo Studio Tecnico Macchi / Digitalizzazioni Marco Massaro, Archivio Progetti. The original uploader was Danyele…, Public domain
- Torre Civica Pavia — Prelvini, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences