1500 years young.

La Torre della Pagliazza is the oldest living soul in Florence.

Rising from 5th-century foundations, possibly Byzantine in origin, it began as a stoic defender. By the 12th century, a transformation: a women’s prison with straw beds, therefore renamed “Pagliazza” (literally, straw). A church, San Michele, soon rose beside it, embracing the tower before nuns meticulously renovated it. The 14th century brought a surprising twist – the church became a haven for the city’s trumpeters! Centuries unfolded, each leaving its mark. Beneath the tower’s base lies an even older secret – a Roman bath’s caldarium, a silent testament to the remarkable layers of history this building holds.