Clock Tower

History

The tower takes its name from Accursius, a famous jurist from Florence who, in the 13th century, built his home in the centre of Bologna: a very large building that included a school, with a portico facing the square, and a tower on the corner. The tower was essentially a rectangular tower house, suitable as a dwelling thanks to its spacious interior. Shortly after the owner’s death, the Commune, which was expanding at the time, bought the entire property from his sons to create the first core of the city hall. In 1444, by decision of the Council of Elders, a clock was installed on the Accursi Tower, which was raised by about 10 metres and topped with a small wooden turret. The sundial on the Arengo Tower was thus left with the task of marking the daytime hours and, above all, noon, against which all other clocks were set, while from 1451 the new mechanism also began to mark the hours of the night.
Between 1885 and 1887, Raffaele Faccioli carried out a major restoration of the entire palace, and the Renaissance balustrade with small pillars was removed from the tower and replaced with a band of brickwork, considered more suited to the palace’s new appearance, more in keeping with the medieval style.
In the past, the tower did not rise high enough above the palace because of the bulk of the Farnese Chapel behind it. The chapel’s vault was therefore demolished, lowering its structure and giving the tower the appearance it has today.