Like the Old Town Hall, the civic tower was built between 1440 and 1462 during the marquisate of Ludovico I (1416- 1475).
Square in plan, it was raised in 1556 with the addition of a second ambulatory and the so-called ‘castle of the bell’, which housed the large bell that marked the time of city life.
The copper dome culminates in a spire with the coat of arms of Saluzzo, a weathervane and an eagle. Until 1848, the tower ended with a large iron cross, which can be seen today on the façade of the church of Saint Agostino.
At 48 metres high, in the definition of the spaces of the upper town, the tower was a sign of the town community and a symbol of a force independent of marquis power and religious influence (represented respectively by Castiglia and the Church of San Giovanni).
The building was brought back to its former glory by a major restoration in 1993. As you climb the 130 steps to the small loggia under the spire, you can admire an impressive view over the rooftops and the intricate streets of the old town, over the hill and down to the plain and the Alps.
