A prominent medieval Roman family, the Anguillaras, constructed this imposing 13th-century tower, Torre degli Anguillara, the oldest of its kind in the area. Their fortunes derived from marriage to other eminent Roman aristocrats, among whom the Orsini and Colonna. Hosted by Orso dell’Anguillara, Francesco Petrarch, Rome’s poet laureate (1341) and founder Renaissance humanism in Italy lived here as a guest in 1336. The tower fell into decay after an earthquake damaged it in the mid-15th century when it served diverse purposes: stables, market, factory. In 1902 the complex was renovated and is now leased by the Casa di Dante, a society that promotes the study of Dante Alighieri’s works.
