Snake Tower

Brief information

The Snake Tower stands not as a museum display, but in the middle of the busy route of the city ring road. It is part of Florence’s ancient fortress wall, which once protected the northern bank of the Arno. The contrast is important: a small defensive fragment has ended up in a modern traffic environment, and so the tower reads as a surviving piece of the city boundary rather than as a separately placed monument.

In the Middle Ages, the tower was connected with the work of the guard. An underground passage led from it to a secret door in the wall. This fact changes how one sees its simple form: the tower was not only an observation point, but also part of a hidden system of movement inside the fortifications. The name is associated with the commander of the guard, nicknamed “the Snake.”

What to notice first

The main clue to the tower’s structure is its angle. At this point the fortress wall turned, so the tower’s walls are bent at a right angle toward the Arno. It is worth comparing this shape with the traces of the ancient wall visible to the west of the tower: this makes it easier to understand that what you are looking at is not an isolated tower, but the remnant of a defensive line.

The second detail is the simple structure with its original crenellated crown. The battlements recall its military purpose without a lengthy explanation of the fortress. The Porticciola Gate once stood nearby, but it was demolished during road construction; now the building of the U.S. Consulate stands in its place. Thus, next to the tower, the changing functions of the site are visible: wall, gate, and guard gave way to a road and a modern building.