Known throughout the world, the Two Towers are the other symbol of Bologna together with Neptune, and they were certainly also the visual reference that stood out before the eyes of arriving travellers. They have existed for almost nine hundred years: already built in stone at the beginning of the 12th century at the entrance to the city from Via Emilia and Via Ravegnana, which connected directly with Ravenna.

The Asinelli tower owes its name to the family who had it built. At 97.2 meters high, it had very few rivals in size at the time. Its current slope gives rise to a sheer drop of 2.23 meters and the top can be reached via a staircase of 498 steps: the effort of the climb is, however, rewarded by a view and a landscape that also impressed Goethe, who wrote his impressions in the famous Journey in Italy in the notes dedicated to his stay in Bologna.

The Garisenda tower also takes its name from the noble family who had it built. Shortly after its construction, the inclination was so strong that it is believed that construction was interrupted and even, in the 14th century, around 12 meters were demolished, bringing the height to the current height of around 48 metres. Dante Alighieri saw her when she was still intact and not lowered and compared her to the giant Antaeus bending over him and Virgil in Canto XXXI of Inferno.

The overhang of the inclination is approximately 3.4 meters compared to the base: this makes it the most leaning tower in Italy, and the increase in the torsions of the base towards the south side, recorded in October 2023, led to the closure of traffic in the area around the towers and a series of stabilization interventions that , starting from the end of 2023, will lead over time to the total safety of the tower.  Due to this closure of the works, visits to the Asinelli Tower and the climb for the panoramic view are also suspended indefinitely.