Tieni Tower (Torre Tieni)

The Torre Thieni is one of the few surviving towers built during the late Middle Ages to guard the branches of the river that ran through the easternmost territories of the Este dominions. The structure, designed to perform mainly military functions related to the barrage of navigation, served to block the encroachments of enemy fleets intending to sail up the river towards the hinterland.

Built along the course of the Po di Volano, between Massafiscaglia and Codigoro, the so-called Bastida di Thieni was composed of two fortifications facing each other on the opposite banks of the river. A chain could be stretched between the two structures to prevent the passage of ships. All that remains today of the military device is the tower on the southern bank, while traces of the structure to the north were apparently visible in the riverbed in the past.