The Clock Tower is one of the very few monuments in Piazza Fontana spared the many works of rearrangement of the ancient urban space. Its original form is dated to the mid-eighteenth century and almost certainly incorporates a pre-existing medieval nucleus. The tower was the symbol of the Taranto municipality in that square which since its construction was a real economic and commercial center. In fact, this space was home to the fruit and vegetable market, the fish customs house and it was the entrance to the city from the west.

The advanced polygonal body that characterizes it today was added in 1799, probably to give greater architectural emphasis to the structure, while the bell spire dates back to the early 1800s. The mechanical clock, still visible today on the main façade, was built at the end of the nineteenth century by the Neapolitan artisans of the E.O. Wolves.

The structure, which has always been a point of reference for the inhabitants of the Old City of Taranto, inspired the poet and playwright from Taranto Don Diego Marturano (1899-1989) who dedicated a beautiful lyric to this monument entitled: "U relogge d'a Chiazze" ("The clock in the square").

A plaque, affixed following the restoration interventions, pays homage to the poet from Taranto and his deep connection with the tower, a true symbol of Taranto.