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Here, however, the Tower assumes an unusual value through its dislocation from the other monuments in the area of Piazza dei Miracoli. The building is in fact sited in one of the most visible points of the Piazza, in correspondence with the junction between the latter and via Santa Maria, one of the antique thoroughfares of the city. Originally, a road which followed the course of via Emilia passed to the left of the Tower. This road, which ran towards the apse and alongside the northern side of the Cathedral, continued beyond the city walls, through which it passed via the so-called porta de Leone - the Gate of the Lion. Furthermore, the contiguity between the Tower and the apsidal area of the Cathedral established a formal dialogue between the two buildings.
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Western Europe
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