The Della Torre family had been enfeoffed by the archdiocese of Milan with vast territories reaching as far as the Canton Ticino, whose main body was the county of Valsassina, with the fortified village of Primaluna in the centre.

The first notable member was Martino, nicknamed Il Gigante ("The Giant"), who fought in the Holy Land during the Crusades and died after 1147. His son, Jacopo,