AT A GLANCE
Why go?
The Torre Civica di Santo Stefano is the defining monument of Molinella, a small town in the low Bolognese plain just a few meters above sea level. Built in the early 1300s as a fortress guarding Bologna's northeastern border against Ferrara, it has stood watch over this watery landscape for nearly seven centuries, surviving sieges, total destruction, and careful rebuilding.↗↗
Today the tower is more than a museum piece: after a 1982 restoration, it has served since 1995 as a venue for exhibitions, cultural events, and performances, while remaining the symbol of the town, even appearing on Molinella's official coat of arms alongside a watermill wheel.↗↗
Its unusual silhouette, a late-medieval military tower crowned with a four-sloped roof and a small arched turret that once housed church bells, makes it instantly recognizable from any approach to the town center on Corso Mazzini.↗↗
