One of the smaller but most characterful towers in San Gimignano, the Torre del Diavolo stands on the eastern side of the Piazza della Cisterna, easily spotted from the square. It is private and not open to visitors, but it is one of the more photographed towers in town, partly because of its lean and its name.
The tower is a good example of how the family tower tradition worked in practice: built by a wealthy merchant family as a statement of status and a fortified retreat, it served both social and military functions. At the height of the rivalry, around the 12th and 13th centuries, there were more than 70 such towers crammed into this small hilltop town.