Technology of the Torre delle Ore clock tower in Lucca and how the bells ring…
The Torre delle Ore is a clock tower in Lucca. It is also the tallest tower in Lucca. There are 207 stairs to the top. The tower was built in the middle ages. Labruccio di Gilio Cerlotti, a local craftsman, installed the original clock in 1392. In 1745, the Genevan clockmaker Louis Simon installed a more modern mechanism and three bells were added. The hand-wound Swiss clock rings 4 times an hour and has since 1745. I must say though that when I was in Lucca this past summer, the time was always off when the bells rang. At first, I thought there was something wrong with my watch when I heard the bells ring until another person mentioned how the bells always rang at strange times.
Those of you who know me, know that I love to climb towers. I even climbed this tower with an injured foot. The Torre delle Ore was not one of my favorite climbs. The steps were old and a few freaked me out a little as they creaked and looked like they could snap. I was glad some little kid was not up there jumping on all of the steps while I was there. At one point during the climb up, pigeons flew out of little crevices and I screamed (imagine a mellow version of The Birds). There were also lots of pigeon droppings and feathers everywhere. The views at the top however were spectacular!
Just as I was about to take a photo of the view, the bells started ringing. I jumped and then set my camera to video to record the bells ringing. Because the bells did not ring right at each quarter hour, I was not prepared to capture the entire bell ringing procedure but did manage to get most of it on video.
The Torre delle Ore clock tower:
Comments (15)
Wow what a wonderful choice of technology! I love church bells too..
Posted by jams O'Donnell | November 28, 2009 11:16 AM
Posted on November 28, 2009 11:16
Wow, I love your entry. Thanks for sharing, now I have the idea on how it works.
My technology share http://www.obstaclesandglories.com/2009/01/our-inspiron-lappy.html
Posted by chubskulit | November 28, 2009 11:31 AM
Posted on November 28, 2009 11:31
WHAT a spectacular post! I really enjoyed learning about your bell technology! :D
My Photo Hunt is up! Have a great weekend.
Mrs. Mecomber
http://newyorktraveler.net/
Posted by Mrs. Mecomber | November 28, 2009 11:35 AM
Posted on November 28, 2009 11:35
This was a fantastic post. Beautiful bell tower and so cool to hear the bells ring on the video. Very well written and informative.
Posted by Carver | November 28, 2009 12:10 PM
Posted on November 28, 2009 12:10
Very cool.
You must come to Sevilla and climb the Giralda Tower sometime.
Posted by azahar | November 28, 2009 12:18 PM
Posted on November 28, 2009 12:18
Very cool. I love the gears but I must say that photo looking down does raise a bit of my hairs.
Posted by Marta | November 28, 2009 1:21 PM
Posted on November 28, 2009 13:21
Love those bells. After reading Marta's entry on wind turbines, these two 'technologies' seem so disparate, yet so intriguing. A creative take on this theme...m
Posted by menehune | November 28, 2009 1:50 PM
Posted on November 28, 2009 13:50
Wow! Who made this is a genius. I like to hear a church bell just makes my day.
Mine is here PhotoHunt~ATM
Posted by Kim | November 28, 2009 2:31 PM
Posted on November 28, 2009 14:31
It is so cool to see all the different takes on this theme. What a great post. I really enjoyed learning about the bells.
Posted by Bull Rhino | November 28, 2009 3:50 PM
Posted on November 28, 2009 15:50
That is a lot of steps to climb but worth it for those great pictures!
Posted by Susanne | November 28, 2009 5:50 PM
Posted on November 28, 2009 17:50
Great shots! Believe it or not but this is the only tower in Lucca we HAVEN'T climbed! How could we have missed that?
Posted by Jerry | November 29, 2009 3:30 AM
Posted on November 29, 2009 03:30
Great choice for the theme! I love reading about your adventures in tower climbing. Love hearing the bells ringing. Ahhh, a little piece of Italy on a cold and cloudy day.
Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and a great holiday weekend! ;)
Posted by Maria I. | November 29, 2009 7:38 AM
Posted on November 29, 2009 07:38
Thanks everyone. This was a fun week, seeing what everyone came up with. At first, I was stumped with the theme of technology. I always try to tie in either Italy or Hawaii with my PhotoHunt posts. Once I thought about the bells and clock tower, I was inspired.
Marta, I had to go back to check for sure as it surely could be interpreted either way, but the photo I believe you are referring to is looking up, not down.
Jerry, I missed it too the first time I was there.
Maria, I only wish I thought to take a little bit more video at the time of the view after the bells stopped ringing.
Posted by girasoli | November 29, 2009 11:04 AM
Posted on November 29, 2009 11:04
oh wow..that sure looks complicated and impressive. would be nice to see it actually working. Happy PH!
Posted by Marites | November 29, 2009 7:20 PM
Posted on November 29, 2009 19:20
Fantastic!!! I love climbing towers too, and I love church bells! I have a great video of the bells of one of the churches in Assisi (not the basilica) pealing and swinging wildly.
Posted by Anne | November 30, 2009 6:40 AM
Posted on November 30, 2009 06:40