The Civic Tower is a candidate for FAI's Place of the Heart in the 2026 Census.

"Places of the Heart" is a national program promoted by FAI in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, inviting citizens to nominate and vote for the Italian places they feel most connected to and believe are important to promote and protect. The Civic Tower's candidacy as a place of the heart will be launched over the weekend of July 11th and 12th. Orizzonte Casale, together with the Municipal Administration, intends to seize the opportunity offered by FAI to emphasize the monument's centrality as a guardian of the community's memory and make a concrete contribution to its promotion. The Civic Tower, also known as the Tower of Santo Stefano, consists of a lower section of medieval origin and a Renaissance upper section, commissioned by the Marquises Paleologi, William IX and Anne of Alençon, who also donated the two bells that still ring the hours. In recent months, the great hour bell had taken a break after 500 years, but now everything is back on track: the ringing has resumed. We had missed the familiar ringing of the "secular" bells, unique in the city, like the heartbeat marking the time of civic life. The tallest and oldest, the Tower has witnessed Casale's historical events over time. It also had a troubled life, enduring and overcoming fires, undergoing reconstruction and restoration, following the evolution of the city. Today, it stands upright and proud toward the sky, dominating the skyline of Casale. At night, it appears like a luminous beacon in the historic center. Always an ambassador of messages to the citizens, first as an expression of municipal autonomy and then of the power of the Lords of Monferrato, today it is often used for awareness campaigns, with dedicated lighting in different colors, to draw the community's attention to social projects or to encourage responsibility. Every month, during the "Casale Città Aperta" weekend, an initiative by the Department of Culture - Civic Museum in collaboration with the Orizzonte Casale Association, the monument comes to life again, brought to life by the ups and downs of countless visitors who bravely climb the 172 steps. Their efforts are rewarded with a spectacular 360° view of the city, the Po River, the Monferrato hills, and, on clear days, even the Alps and the Monte Rosa massif. At nearly 60 meters tall, it is the city's quintessential vertical landmark, the most popular monument for visitors, a major tourist attraction, particularly attracting young people. Orizzonte Casale, together with the City of Casale Monferrato, invites all residents and visitors to vote for it as a FAI (Italian National Trust) place of their heart. Minors and foreign citizens, even non-residents, are also eligible to vote. Voting is straightforward and completely free. The most direct way to cast your vote is to access the link: https://fondoambiente.it/luoghi/torre-civica-102364?ldc= During the "Casale Città Aperta" weekend of July 11th and 12th, voting will be possible at the kiosk in Piazza Mazzini and at the monuments open for visits (Saturday afternoon 3:30-6:30 pm and Sunday 10:00-12:30 pm and 3:30-6:30 pm). The FAI "Place of the Heart" poster will be displayed at all locations, along with a QR code for online voting, and paper voting forms will also be available. The vote collection campaign will last until mid-December 2026, during the "Casale Città Aperta" events and at dedicated vote collection points and events that will be announced as they occur.