The Torre di Piazza — commonly called the Torre Bissara after the family that owned it in the 13th century — rises 82 metres above Piazza dei Signori, making it one of the tallest medieval towers in the Veneto. It was built by the Bissara family in 1174 as a symbol of their civic power, in an era when Vicenza's noble families competed in height the way tech companies compete in valuations today.
The tower stands directly behind the Basilica Palladiana and provides the vertical counterpoint that makes the piazza's composition so satisfying. The carillon at the top plays its distinctive melody at noon and midnight. The tower is not generally open to the public, but it is one of those pieces of urban architecture that repays standing in the square and simply looking at — watching the light change on the medieval stone against the Palladian marble below.