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The towers are constructions originally built for defense against enemies who invaded and passed through; in the towers, one was almost safe. They also served to protect against thieves and bandits, even in times of peace. Moreover, they were lookout and signaling points: at night with torches and during the day with flags, to communicate with other towers in castles and villages, which were almost always perched atop hills.

But over time, towers took on other meanings, like those in San Gimignano and the many towers scattered across the hills, in castles, and along the coast. They became symbols of power, control over the land and the workers who cultivated it, and also of wealth—in short, a way to look down on others from above.

The tower of Paterno, from the 17th century, stands somewhere in between—or rather, it had both functions: defense and ostentation. Since I don’t believe the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova built the tower, it must have existed since the Middle Ages, or it was commissioned by the Scarlatti family in the 17th or 18th century.

This tower in Paterno has Guelph battlements (we are in Florentine territory!) and not the M-shaped Ghibelline ones. The battlements were designed to shield archers, allowing them to shoot enemies below without having to hold a handheld shield that would limit the tension of the bow.

The original battlements no longer exist, as they have deteriorated over time due to exposure to the elements. Those we see today are either reconstructed or recently made, as towers came back into fashion in the 19th century on villas and in neo-Gothic castles. Noteworthy are the beautiful corbels (support brackets) that decorate the upper part of the Paterno tower, just below the battlement crown.

I need to see this Paterno tower up close and from the inside. I don’t know if it can be dated precisely, but I allow myself a few considerations: if Paterno was already a village in the 14th century, there must have been a church, a lord’s palace, and around it a hamlet with the homes of artisans and farmers. In that case, it’s plausible that there was a tower as a refuge, especially for the master’s family and even for the workers in case of danger.

More than just a tower, it was a tower-house, which was quite common in villas. It was certainly used by the Hospital, but I don’t think it was built by them, as by then we’re in the 16th century and all of Tuscany was under Florence’s rule, so walls and towers were no longer essential.

If the tower does not originate from the Middle Ages, but is instead a representative structure from the 18th–19th century, we can observe that such towers were not as massive as those needed to withstand enemy assaults—they were more slender and fragile, almost theatrical. In Paterno, perhaps a modern cap (from the 18th or 19th century) was added to a massive medieval tower, complete with battlements, corbels, and later still a sloping roof to keep out rain.

And finally, in modern Paterno, the tower feels disproportionate, too large, and certainly more useful in medieval times.

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