Photos: Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 karel291, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 Heinz Bunse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo credits
Photos: Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 karel291, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 Heinz Bunse, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Why the Asinelli tower still stands
Your local guide
Alessandro Ricci
View profile
Highlights
- A tower engineered to last
- Stone base, narrowing brick above
- Dozens of similar towers, long gone
- A repaired section, closely examined
- Structure explained in plain terms
About this tour
This session focuses on the engineering story behind the Asinelli tower rather than its general history. You see the tower's heavy stone base and the lighter brick higher up, including a section repaired after past damage. The camera moves slowly upward to trace the whole structure in stages.
We spend longer than usual on the base itself, since that is where the real engineering explanation lives. I answer technical questions in plain terms as they come up, then move up the tower stage by stage.
It suits anyone curious about how medieval builders solved real structural problems rather than just wanting a photograph. It also works well before a wider walking session through the old centre.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Bologna before heading out.
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Tower base 21 min
The camera holds on the tower's massive stone base, and I explain the engineering reasons this one survived while dozens of similar towers across the city did not.
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Upper brickwork 21 min
Higher up, you see the brickwork narrow and lighten, and I point out a section rebuilt after damage during the last century.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Bologna: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Lasagne alla bolognese and Università, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Rome time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Bologna, showing you Tower base and Upper brickwork live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Bologna live with my phone.
Times shown in Rome time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Wed 4 Nov · 10 seats left From 25,00 €
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