Torre dell’Orologio

The Torre dell'Orologio closes the southern end of Piazza Castello in Noale. It is not a decorative clock tower but the town's surviving medieval gate, with a clock added to it later.

The road still passes underneath, which is the point: this is a working piece of the fortified town, doing now what it did in the fourteenth century.

It belongs to the same defensive system as the Rocca dei Tempesta at the other end of the square, and with the nearby bell tower it makes up what remains of Noale's fortifications beyond the castle itself.

The arch still carries road traffic in a narrow space shared with pedestrians -- stand clear when photographing it.

This is a working town without a tourism economy; spending a little in the square is the practical way to contribute.

Park outside the centre. Noale is small, flat and entirely walkable, and its station is a short walk away.

The tower is seen from the street and from the square. It is not open to climb and there is nothing to pay.

It stands at the southern end of Piazza Castello, a five-minute walk from the Rocca and about ten from the Noale-Scorzè station.

This is a five-minute stop within a walk through the town centre, taken together with the square and the Rocca.

The square in front is flat and level; traffic still passes under the arch, so take care crossing.

Late afternoon light on the brick is the best, looking north up the square toward the Rocca.

Market morning or the early-evening passeggiata are when the square around it is at its liveliest.

Any season works for a five-minute look; the arcades alongside give shelter in poor weather.