One of the Gonzaga towers
The 42-metre-high tower, only partially visible today, appears to have belonged to the powerful Zuccaro family, who gave it its name.
We have no certain sources on the first ownership, but we know that Pinamonte Bonacolsi purchased the tower and the annexed palace from the Ripalta family around 1270 and that from 1354 to 1590 it was among the properties of the Gonzagas.
Beliefs about the origin of the name
For the people of Mantua, Sugar Tower it is the Tor dal sücar, Sugar Tower. This linguistic distortion gave rise to the now-disproven belief that the tower housed a salt warehouse, in dialect sücar brüsc (sour sugar).
Chronicles tell of the tower being cut off at its top. Its current appearance is due to the 1717 restoration, when the roof and street-level access were added.
