The civic tower of Casale Monferrato is a brick construction with a square plan form. With its 60 meters of height the tower dominates the whole town and it is its most characteristic symbol. The lower side dates back to the original construction of the 11th century. It was built for defensive purposes later it became the symbol of civic power.
At the beginning of the 16th century the Paleologi family, Marquises of Monferrato, commissioned to the architect and sculptor Matteo Sanmicheli (Porlezza 1480-1528) a crowing element, which takes the form of a loggia. With a square plan form the loggia presents four mullioned windows, surmounted by another smaller loggia with an octagonal plan form.
On the top of the tower stands a colonnade and a small calotte, adorned with dolphins. Across the centuries the civic tower was modernized with painting plasters and decorative stucco. In 1920 there was a final restoration and so it has remained until today.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.