We are in the heart of Albenga, overlooked by three towers that symbolize the city's political, civil, and religious life.
Municipal Tower
The first tower we encounter is the Torre Comunale , built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Originally, the upper floors served as residences for the city authorities , while the ground floor housed the meeting room.
In 1300 it was purchased by the Cepolla family, who rented it to the Municipality. In 1333, the seat of the Municipal Council and the Consuls of the Capitulum moved here, who subsequently became the owners.
A major restoration took place in 1934, returning the tower to its original medieval sobriety by removing subsequent historical layers. In the past, the east side was enriched by a 17th-century loggia and a 16th-century portal with the Latin inscription "Mens omnibus una," meaning "One mind for all," a symbol of cohesion in public administration.
Today, the tower houses the Tourist Information Office and the Civic Museum , inside the splendid Loggia Comunale .
Town Hall Tower
Next to it is the so-called Town Hall Tower , also known as the Malasemenza Tower – from the name of the family who probably built it in the 13th century – or as the Zaccaria Cepollini Tower , owned in the 17th century.
31 metres high, it was incorporated into the municipal building in 1831. According to some sources, in the sixteenth century the base of the tower housed the city prisons, and was known as the “pilferage corner” , where condemned prisoners were exposed to the public.
Cathedral Bell Tower
The third element is the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Michele , a splendid example of Ligurian late-Gothic architecture . The base is that of the ancient Romanesque bell tower, but the rest of the structure was rebuilt in brick in 1391.
Elegant and slender, it is punctuated by mullioned windows with double and triple lancet windows , with decorative arches marking the division of the floors. The spire was redone in 1900, covered in green and white majolica , reviving its original shape, destroyed by lightning.
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