How many steps to the top of Torre del Mangia?
Roughly 400 steps up one of the narrowest tower climbs in Italy, with entry limited to about 30 people at a time and a real bottleneck at the top where the stair opens onto a small platform. The tower was deliberately built to the same height as Siena Cathedral so that neither church nor state stood above the other. Its name comes from its first bellringer, Giovanni di Balduccio, nicknamed Mangiaguadagni — "profit eater" — for spending his wages. The view over the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo is the reason to do it.
The numbers
- Steps
- 400
- Reaches
- the bell chamber at 87 m, above the Palazzo Pubblico
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Siena, Italy
- Height climbed
- 87 m — 285 ft
- Average rise per step
- 218 mm
What the climb is like
About 20 minutes plus queueing. Entry capped; not possible for anyone claustrophobic.
Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.
How it compares
Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.
| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre-Dame de Paris towers | 422 | the top of the north and south towers, at 69 m | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Giotto's Campanile | 414 | the open terrace at the top of the bell tower, at 85 m | Open to climb |
| Sagrada Família towers | 400 | the descent from the Nativity or Passion façade towers — the ascent is by lift | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Torre del Mangia | 400 | the bell chamber at 87 m, above the Palazzo Pubblico | Open to climb |
| Statue of Liberty (crown) | 377 | the crown, at 81 m — 162 steps above the top of the pedestal | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Belfry of Bruges | 366 | the top of the medieval bell tower, at 83 m | Open to climb |
| El Castillo, Chichén Itzá | 365 | the temple at the top of the pyramid — climbing has been prohibited since 2006 | Not climbable by the public |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Torre del Mangia?
- 400, reaching the bell chamber at 87 m, above the Palazzo Pubblico.
- Can the public climb Torre del Mangia?
- Open to climb. About 20 minutes plus queueing. Entry capped; not possible for anyone claustrophobic.
- How high is that climb?
- 87 m, about 285 ft, which averages 218 mm per step.
Related pages
- Cathedrals and churches All 19 here
- How many steps up Leaning Tower of Pisa? 251 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up St Peter's Basilica dome? 551 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)? 334 steps · restricted — events or permit only
- How many steps up St Paul's Cathedral? 528 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Brunelleschi's Dome, Florence Cathedral? 463 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Notre-Dame de Paris towers? 422 steps · restricted — events or permit only
- How many steps up Sagrada Família towers? 400 steps · restricted — events or permit only
- How many steps up Cologne Cathedral south tower? 533 steps · open to climb
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place