Torre Carrari is characterized by a thin and basic structure. It is 22 metres high, and  it may be considered as a Tower House, built by the Carrari family between the 12th and the 13th century. The tower houses represented the best part of the medieval architecture. They were a sort of compromise between the wooden and the stonebuilt houses, thus combining stability, cleanliness and both structural and housing security.

The Carrari family originally owned great part of the area where now Via de' Toschi, Via Marchesana and Via Foscherari are located. In this area the family also had a gentle church and a house including a tower and a tower house (the tower house is the only thing now visible). Later, the church and the tower house were acquired by the Foscherari Family, whose name was given to the today's street.

In 1484 the little tower was bought (1. 200 lire) and in the 18th century it was inherited by the Fabbriceria di San Petronio (Fabbriceria was a company whose purpose was to preserve holy places, such as churches). The foundation was born in 1390 to manage first the construction and then the maintenance of the church of S. Petronio. It also managed its finances, whose main income was related to inheritance (in case there was nobody else who could take it). It was then bought by Società di Rinnovamento Edilizio, thus becoming part of the project lead by the architect Arata that has mainly safeguarded it.  Source: Bologna la selva turrita (in Italian) enhancement project of the historical-architectural Bologna's heritage supported by the Fondazione del Monte.