This is the famous Tower of Mangia in Siena, Italy.
Built in the 14th century as a act of thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who survived The Black Plague, it was named after Giovanni di Balduccio, its first guardian, who had the habit of spending all of his salary on food. (Thank God there were no McDonald’s then.)
What struck me about this tower is its harmony and upward thrust. Although huge, it does not cause a “crushing” impression on those who live around it.
The upper most loggia that sits atop the brick base of the tower is made of marble. The light color of the marble and its graceful shape and lines draw one’s eyes upwards, to heaven. The brick base of the tower serve as a fitting pedestal for this marble loggia.
For me, this 14th century building represents the best qualities of Catholic temporal society: strength, grace, harmony, and a strong impetus to strive for higher things, for perfection, for heaven.
It shows how, when imbued with Catholic spirit, and used according to their proper end, temporal things are a powerful conductor to spiritual things.
How different our modern cities would be if we followed the Catholic model of temporal society. But for that to happen, souls would first need to love and practice the Catholic faith in all of its beauty, goodness, truth and unity.
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(Note: The first picture is in the public domain, the second was taken by Niels Bosboom and is used under the GNU Free Documentation License.)
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