The Cage Tower

It belonged to the Acerbi family and was sold, in 1281, to Pinamonte Bonacolsi, who was Lord of Mantua at that time.
The tower received its current name [Gabbia means cage] when, in 1576, Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga had a huge iron cage built, as an "open air jail".
The cage, suspended in the piazza next to the tower, held prisoners, who sometimes remained in the cage, exposed to the elements and for all to look at, even for long periods of time.
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