Torre Rossa, Bell tower at Corso Vittorio Alfieri, Asti, Italy.
Torre Rossa is a 24-metre Romanesque bell tower in Asti, built on a 16-sided brick base. Its lower red section dates to the 1st century BC, while the upper part in tuff and brick, banded in white and red, was added around the 11th century. It serves as campanile of the adjacent Chiesa di San Secondo.
The tower was built in two phases: the red lower section dates to the 1st century BC, while the upper part in tuff and brick was added around the 11th century. It may have been one of the two towers of a Roman city gate, and in the 12th century it became the campanile of the adjacent Chiesa di San Secondo, a role it still holds.
Popular legend holds that the tower was the last prison of San Secondo, the city's patron saint, before his martyrdom; he is said to have been beheaded on 30 March 119. Inside, just past the entrance, stands a small altar with a marble statue of the saint in Roman armour, holding the city in his hand. The statue was moved here from the underground cell, now walled up and filled for stability, where tradition places two miraculous springs brought forth by Christ during a visit of comfort to the martyr.
The tower stands on the small piazzetta created in the mid-1930s, when the houses leaning against it were demolished; that clearing now exposes the lower brick base. The 16-sided base and the band of tuff and brick at the top are best seen from a few steps back. The interior altar with the marble statue of San Secondo is reached at street level.
The tower's lower chamber, now walled up and filled to stabilise the structure, once held a marble statue of San Secondo, moved to a small altar just inside the entrance. Tradition holds that two miraculous springs, said to have appeared during Christ's visit to comfort the martyr, could be seen in that chamber. Beside the statue stands a marble plaque dated 1618 bearing the coat of arms of Cavalier Domenico Coardo, Count of Quarto and Portacomaro.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,129 contributors worldwide.