Clock Tower

On the morning of 13 February 1956 a group of workmen climbed the Clock Tower and began to demolish it, as the people of Brindisi watched in disbelief. It's said they came from out of town, because no one from Brindisi could bring themselves to do it. After almost two centuries the bells fell silent for good.

The Baroque tower stood at the heart of the city, in what was then Piazza dei Nobili, among shops and workshops; on summer Sundays at sunset an opera orchestra played here. It was a symbol on a par with the Roman Columns and appeared on many postcards.

Nothing of the clockwork or the bells survived. In 2006 a bronze panel by Giuseppe Marzano was placed where it stood, showing the tower and the crowd at its feet, cast with money donated by the townspeople. Today the INPS offices stand in its place.