Embriaci Tower, Medieval tower in historic center, Genoa, Italy.

The Embriaci Tower is a medieval tower standing in the historic center of Genoa, one of the few still remaining at its original height in the city. It is built from large rough-cut stone blocks and rises well above the surrounding buildings, with narrow openings cut into its thick walls.

The tower was built during the 12th century, when noble families in Genoa competed by raising tall towers across the city to show their power. A city edict issued in 1196 forced most of those towers to be cut down, but this one was allowed to keep its full height.

The tower is attributed by Genoese historiography to the Castro family, not the Embriaci, and recent studies place the true Embriaci tower in Piazza di Santa Maria in Passione. A plaque set at its base in 1869 by Ludovica Brignole-Sale records that the tower, 165 palms high, was spared the 1196 cut. Ownership passed from the Castro to the Cattanei and then to the Sale family.

The tower sits within the narrow lanes of the medieval city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site that can only be explored on foot. It is visible from the outside and best seen from the small open spaces nearby, as the tight streets do not always allow a full view.

The tower's survival is recorded on a plaque set at its base in 1869 by Ludovica Brignole-Sale, then owner of the building. It recalls that the tower, 165 palms high, was spared when the podestà Drudo Marcellino ordered in 1196 that no tower exceed 80 palms. The 1926 restoration by Orlando Grosso rebuilt the upper section and added the Guelph merlons, which do not belong to the medieval structure.