Photo: No machine-readable author provided. RicciSpeziari~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fortress / Tower
Torre della Gabbia
Medieval landmark in Mantua, Italy
- Within the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Mantua and Sabbioneta”
At a glance
- Type
- Fortress / Tower
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 45°09′35″ N, 10°47′45″ E
- Address
- Via Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 102
History and description
The Tower della Gabbia is a medieval tower located on Via Cavour #102 in Mantua, region of Lombardy, Italy.
History
The tower was built in 1281 by the Acerbi family, however, the tower takes its present name from a rectangular metal cage, erected in 1576 under Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga. The cage measured two meters long, one meter deep and high, perched about a third of the height. The cage was used to publicly expose criminals. Some documents indicate it was used to execute some prisoners, including in 1500, a Dominican friar arrested in a house of ill-repute, after giving mass despite being illiterate, as well as other crimes including murder. In 1798, the owner was instructed to destroy the cage as a symbol of tyranny, but it was retained, apparently as a curiosity. Some sources say the tower, was built in 1302 by architect Botticella Bonacolsi.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Torre della Gabbia».
Photos
Getting there
MantovaTrain, nearest
1.0 km as the crow flies
Torre della GabbiaVia Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 102
Escursioni in barca7.8 km
Aeroporto Valerio Catullo di Verona-Villafranca27.3 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 Torre della Gabbia?
Torre della Gabbia is in Mantua, in the province of Mantova (Lombardy), Italy. Address: Via Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 102. GPS coordinates: 45.15962, 10.79582.
What else is there to see near Torre della Gabbia?
Nearby you’ll find: Voltone di San Pietro (0 m away), Palazzo Bonacolsi (100 m away), Casa torre dei Bonacolsi (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 8 photos
- Torre della Gabbia — No machine-readable author provided. RicciSpeziari~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mantova - Torre della Gabbia - 2023-09-13 14-02-19 001 — Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mantova - Torre della Gabbia - 2023-09-13 14-03-18 001 — Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mantova Torre della Gabbia xilografia — MCS, Public domain
- Palazzo Bonacolsi & Torre della Gabbia in Mantua (1) — Tournasol7, CC BY 4.0
- Torre della Gabbia and palazzo .Castiglioni — Vitold Muratov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Torre della Gabbia in Mantua (1) — Tournasol7, CC BY 4.0
- I-MN-Mantova07 — Szeder László, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences