Voting with chestnuts

This tower owes its name to chestnuts. The priors who governed Florence cast their votes here with chestnuts dropped into a bag, so that nobody could see who chose what, and ever since the tower has carried the name of that fruit.

Before the town hall on the Signoria existed, the city's highest officials met in this building. They were elected for two months, lived apart from everyone during that time, and were forbidden from doing any business in those weeks, all to keep bribery at bay.

From mid June to mid August 1300, Dante was one of them. In those weeks the council signed off on banishing a group of troublemakers from both parties, among them friends of his own, and his enemies never let him forget that decision. When they seized power a year and a half later, they had a file ready.

Around the corner, Via del Proconsolo begins, with a church on the left crowned by a slender six-sided bell tower.