Staufer Watchtower

Torre di Ghibellini

Many experts claim that Villa I Busini was constructed around an original watchtower, dating back to the medieval era. 

Networks of watchtowers have existed since the beginning of time as a means to maintain visual and aural contact across great distances and with other towers, castles, and fortresses. They were an effective way for Emperors to manage their vast Empires.

During the Staufer Dynasty rule, this network of watchtowers was extended between Sicily and the Trifels Castle, in the Palatinate region of Germany.

The Torre di Ghibellini (Tower of Ghibellines) at Villa I Busini, still marks the highest point of the Villa today and provides unobstructed views of the valley and surrounding hilltops. In honor of the Staufer Dynasty and the original Ghibellines, the current owner named the tower, Torre di Ghibellini. 

The name is derived from one of  the two rival factions in Italy at the time—the Dukes of Bavaria - House of Welf, “Guelfo" in Italian, and the Dukes of Swabia - House of Waiblingen, "Ghibellino" in Italian—and describes the supporters of the Church and the Empire. 

The stone work of Torre di Ghibellini has been left exposed in various places and provides evidence of its medieval roots. 

Many other medieval watchtowers also still stand today; one of the finest being the Scrigno Tower in central Palermo, which was also built during the Staufer Dynasty. Now called Palazzo Federico, the Hohenstaufen Coat of Arms is sculpted along what used to be the Scrigno Tower’s exterior.

Torre di Ghibellini at Villa I Busini may not be quite as fine as the Scrigno Tower, but it stands equally proud and bears the same great history of the Staufer Dynasty, intertwined with that of the noble families, power struggles, and philosophies of the Renaissance.