Pallata Tower, Brescia

The Pallata Tower, known simply as the Pallata or Torre della Pallata is a 32 meter high 13th-century tower located on Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi in the center of Brescia, region of Lombardy, Italy. It was initially built as a bastion that was part of the medieval walls of the city. There are two theories about the name pallata: it may be derived from the Italian word for palisade or Palizzata, or it may derive from the word for the temple of Pallas Athena, and the stones may have been purloined from that source.

Construction began in 1254, in the city quarter of San Giovanni. It was associated with a medieval gate: the Porta di San Giovanni in the early walls of the city. The tower once held the vaults of a Bank or Monte di Pieta. Over the centuries, decorations were added such as a clock in 1461, and merlons and a small tower at the top between 1476 - 1481. In 1597, the west side of the tower had the addition of a fountain, built in Mannerist style. The fountain was based on design and inconography by Pier Maria Bagnadore, built by architect Antonio Carra, and the statuary was completed by the sculptor Valentino Bonesini.^[1] The fountain has four allegoric statues: the lower register represent either the two rivers in Brescia, the Mella and Garza, or alternatively, the two lakes in the province, Garda and Iseo.^[2]

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