In the heart of Genoa’s oldest district, the Castello, stands a monument that tells a story of prestige, mistaken identity, and survival. Reaching a height of 41 meters, the Torre dei Castro – often misnamed the Torre degli Embriaci – is the only medieval skyscraper in the city that remained untouched by the draconian laws of the 12th century.
A case of mistaken identity.
For centuries, local tradition attributed this massive stone structure to Guglielmo Embriaco. This larger-than-life character, nicknamed Testa di Maglio (Hammerhead), was a legendary hero of the First Crusade. Interestingly, his surname Embriaco may derive from the Italian word for “drunkard” (ubriaco), possibly due to Guglielmo’s fondness for wine. He is credited with dismantling his own ships to build siege towers and war machines that helped breach Jerusalem’s walls in 1099, and reportedly made his fortune when the Crusaders conquered Caesarea in 1101 – among the spoils was the Sacro Catino, a mysterious green vessel long believed to be carved from a single emerald, which tradition holds was used by Christ at the Last Supper. It was said that the tower was built with these riches. However, modern research has corrected the record. The actual Embriaci tower was located in Piazza di Santa Maria in Passione, while this specific palace-tower belonged to the noble de Castro (or Castello) family. Notably, Primo di Castello fought alongside Guglielmo Embriaco in the First Crusade – so the two families were actually connected.
Despite the historical correction, the name “Embriaci” remains etched in the local collective memory, forever linking the tower to the crusading glory of the Middle Ages.
The 1196 Edict: Cutting the skyline.
In 1196, the Podestà Drudo Marcellino issued a radical decree to curb the arrogance of Genoa’s feuding noble families. He ordered that no private tower could exceed the height of 80 palms (approximately 18-20 meters). This led to a massive “decapitation” of the city’s skyline; of the 66 towers that once pierced the clouds, almost all were cut in half.
The Torre dei Castro was the sole exception. Standing at 165 spans (41 meters), it was spared – either out of respect for the family’s influence or, as historian Federico Alizeri suggested, out of “pity for such a singular monument.” A marble plaque placed at its base in 1869 by Ludovica Brignole-Sale still commemorates this rare exemption.
Architectural mastery and restoration.
Built at the beginning of the 12th century from massive blocks of rusticated stone – likely repurposed from the abandoned 9th-century city walls – the tower’s architecture speaks for itself: overlapping rows of small hanging arches crown its summit, narrow slits pierce the walls for light and defense. Guelph battlements complete the iconic medieval silhouette. These last, however, are a 1926 addition by restorer Orlando Grosso, not part of the original design.
From fortress to Renaissance palace.
As the centuries passed and the need for private fortresses faded, the tower was integrated into the Palazzo Giulio Sale (later Brignole Sale). The complex evolved from a defensive domus into a prestigious residence.
In 1514, the complex passed to the Cattaneo family, before Giulio Sale acquired and renovated it in 1583 to meet Renaissance standards. In the 1600s, Doge Giovanni Francesco Brignole further transformed the interiors, commissioning frescoes attributed to Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo.
Today, the Torre dei Castro remains the most monumental element of the Embriaci district. It serves as a silent witness to a time when Genoa’s nobility measured their power in stone and height, reminding us of a skyline that once rivaled the most fortified cities of the medieval world.