There are many towers in Tuscany. Most belong to the state, some can be visited. Others are just ruins.

“Ours” was built in the 11^th century and was part of a medieval defensive system. The tower is made of black ashlars arranged in strips. The lower portion is made up of alternating black and white stripes. It belonged to various powerful families of the region and was residence of Florentine captains. A sign that the tower belonged to Florentine at one time is still to be seen on the third floor where a white lily was carved into a niche of the large room that is now the living room.

On one of our excursions, we visited San Gimignano which is situated between Florence and Siena. Tall, slender towers dominate the city on the hill. The reason for the strange architecture: the ruling families competed grimly over the tallest and therefore most prestigious building in town. The result is fantastic! From a far, the skyline looks like a medieval Manhattan. It comes to show that the Donald Trumps of our era are not a new phenomena.