Bologna's Grisham

Grisham visited the major sites of Bologna, too, not just its finest restaurants: San Petronio (the main cathedral of Bologna, begun in 1390), the 16th century Piazza del Nettuno with its wonderful fountain of Neptune, the Medieval tower of the Asinelli, and the landmark 18th century sanctuary of San Luca on the hill above Bologna.
This last is connected to the city by a covered portico three and a half kilometers long (including 666 arches).
If you are ever in Bologna you should plan to hike up to the sanctuary. The rise is only about 245 meters (about 800 feet total). It takes about an hour and a half and on a good day the view is extraordinary..

You will learn that one of Bologna's nicknames is "la turrita."
The name derives from it once having as many as two hundred medieval towers. Most have been torn down but the nickname remains. Grisham gives us a little history of the medieval city and reasons why it had so many towers.
The reason is, and his information is correct, that medieval families built tall towers in the 12th and 13th centuries as the last line of defense in case the city wall was breached by marauding armies.
The family would retreat into the tower with provisions and wait for the invaders to move on.
In time, the tower became a status symbol.