Musée Torre del Candeliere and Cassero Senese of Massa Marittima

The Torre del Candeliere or Torre dell’Orologio was first opened to the public in 1985 and is currently one of the most visited monuments of the Maremma.

The building dates back to the XII Century and was part of the bishop’s castle in Monteregio. Once the city was affirmed, it became the Torre Communis, a symbol of municipal authority in Cittanuova.

One century later, in 1335, Massa Marittima was forced to submit to Siena, which in order to reinforce its dominion incorporated the tower into the defense system of the Fortezza designed by architect Angiolo di Ventura, who alongside maestro Agostino di Giovanni had previously worked on Siena’s Torre del Mangia. The Torre del Candeliere and the Fortezza were linked by a majestic arch, named «arco senese» (Senese arch), a bold work of military engineering spanning about 21 meters.

The Fortezza, in which the splendid porta alle Silici opens connecting the high part of the city (Cittanuova) with the lower part (Cittavecchia), was the place from which the Senese controlled the walls and the gates as well as the people of Massa who were not entirely tamed, but rather ready to rebel at any occasion.

At the beginning of the XV century, a bell was installed on the tower, which was replaced in 1760 by the current bell, while on the east side, facing the Matteotti square, a clock was mounted with its mechanism visible from the inside of the tower itself.

From the top of the tower and from the walkway on the Cassero walls, which we can reach by crossing the Senese arch, we get a breathtaking view of the city and the surrounding plains all the way to the sea. On clear days, especially in the wintertime, not only can we see the island of Elba and Montecristo from there, but also Corsica.

The Fortezza, with its butterfly shape, is part of the wall circuit of the city, dividing it in two (Cittavecchia below and Cittanuova above). The oldest sections of the walls built by the people of Massa presumably date back to the XI-XII Centuries. The circuit was widened between the XII and XIII Centuries to allow for the expansion of the city in the upper part (Cittanuova). The people of Siena destroyed some sections of it, and then rebuilt them in 1377 reducing the original perimeter. Fortunately long stretches of the walls have survived as well as almost all the gates, which were quite a few. The itineraries are very suggestive; one along the outside of the Cittavecchia walls, and the other along the outside of the walls between the porta di San Francesco and the Convent of the Poor Clares in Cittanuova.