Porta Torre | |
---|---|
Torre di Porta Vittoria | |
![]() External side of Porta Torre (in front of Piazza Vittoria) | |
General information | |
Status | Complete |
Type | Defensive tower |
Architectural style | Romanesque military style |
Location | Como, Italy |
Address | Via Cesare Cantù, 22100 |
Town or city | Como |
Country | Italy |
Coordinates | 45°48′23.99″N9°05′06.7″E / 45.8066639°N 9.085194°E |
Completed | 1192 [1] |
Owner | Comune di Como |
Height | 40 m. [2] |
Porta Torre (also known as Torre di Porta Vittoria [3] ) is a main fortified tower located in the town of Como, in Lombardy (northern Italy). It is 40 meters high and it was built in 1192, to defend the main entrance of the city.
At the end of the war between Como and Milan in 1127 the Milanese, that won the conflict, tore down the ancient walls of the town, built during the Roman age. After the defeat Como decided to ally with the German Emperor Frederick I (called Barbarossa) to fight the Milanese supremacy in Lombardy. In 1154 the Emperor moved to Italy for the first time, and gave his consent to rebuild the defensive walls of Como (still visible around the town). Some years later, in 1192, the rulers of the town decided to strengthen the fortifications towards south, adding to the newly built walls three big defensive towers. The most impressive one, that assumed the role of main entrance of the town, was placed in the centre of the walls, right in front of the way to Milan, as a symbol of the independence of the town.
In the 14th century the great tower was reinforced with a small ravelin housing some overhead artillery guns [1] and flanked by two other smaller towers of pentagonal shape, which repeated the same pattern with arches open inwards. In the sixteenth century the tower was further reinforced with a semicircular bastion, but all these buildings are no longer visible nowadays.
Porta Torre (that literally means Tower Gate) is one of the better preserved romanesque style military buildings in Italy. [4] The large square-shaped fortification has two entrance arches on the external façade, while just one, wider than the external ones, on the inside. [5] The tower has a massive appearance on the outside, while on the side facing the city is lightened by four orders of coupled arches that corresponded to the four internal floors, which were made of wood and destroyed during the years. This probably had a strategic motivation: if the enemies had managed to occupy the tower they would have been exposed to an attack from the friendly troops from the internal side of the fortification, not fully repaired like the external one. [6] The eight arches on the upper floors are off-axis with respect to the one, much larger one, located on the ground floor.
At a short distance from the tower are the ruins of the ancient Roman walls of the town and a gate, probably dating back to the imperial era. These remains are called Porta Pretoria (literally meaning "main gate" in latin) although, traditionally, the door with this name should be on the east side of the walls.
Lecco is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Milan, the capital of the province of Lecco. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como. The Bergamo Alps rise to the north and east, cut through by the Valsassina of which Lecco marks the southern end.
Lake Como, also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 square kilometres (56 sq mi), making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over 400 metres (1,300 ft) deep, it is the fifth deepest lake in Europe, and the deepest outside Norway; the bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres (660 ft) below sea level.
Bellagio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is located on Lake Como, also known by its Latin-derived name Lario, whose arms form an inverted Y. The triangular land mass at the base of the inverted Y is the Larian Triangle: at its northern point sits Bellagio, looking across to the northern arm of the lake and, behind it, the Alps. It has always been famous for its location. It belongs to a mountain community named Comunità montana del Triangolo lariano, with base in Canzo.
The Province of Lecco is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lecco.
Sforza Castle is in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Extensively rebuilt by Luca Beltrami in 1891–1905, it now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.
Griante is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located on the western shore of Lake Como about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of Como between Menaggio and Tremezzo. Griante also borders the communes of Bellagio and Varenna on the other side of the lake. The commune of Griante itself is situated some 50 metres above lake level, on a wide plateau. The portion of the commune sitting on the lake, where the community's tourist industry is situated, is known as Cadenabbia di Griante.
San Siro is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located on the northwest shore of Lake Como immediately north of Menaggio and south of Cremia.
Esino Lario is a municipality (comune) of the Province of Lecco in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Milan, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest of Lecco, and about 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) from the eastern shore of Lake Como.
Lierna is a comune in the province of Lecco in Lombardy, in north-west Italy. It lies on the eastern shore of Lake Como, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Milan and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north-west of Lecco.
Molteno is a comune (municipality) and a hill-top town in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Milan and about 11 kilometres (7 mi) southwest of Lecco. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,206 and an area of 3.2 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi).
Oliveto Lario is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Milan and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) northwest of Lecco.
Perledo is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Milan and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Lecco. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 900 and an area of 12.5 square kilometres (4.8 sq mi).
Varenna is a comune (municipality) on Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Milan and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Lecco.
The Battle of Desio was fought on 21 January 1277 between the Della Torre and Visconti families for the control of Milan and its countryside. The battlefield is located near the modern Desio, a commune outside the city in Lombardy, Northern Italy.
Porta Venezia is one of the historical gates of the city of Milan, Italy. In its present form, the gate dates back to the 19th century; nevertheless, its origins can be traced back to the Medieval and even the Roman walls of the city.
Como San Giovanni railway station is the main station serving the city and comune of Como, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. Opened in 1875, it forms part of the Milan–Chiasso railway, and is also a terminus of the Como–Lecco railway, which branches off the main line a few kilometres (miles) to the south, at Albate-Camerlata.
Milan, capital of the region of Lombardy, Italy, has 23 railway stations in use today; 17 are managed by RFI, while the remaining 6 are operated by FERROVIENORD. 4 more stations are currently in the planning stage for the city area: Canottieri, Dergano, Tibaldi and Zama.
Porta Nuova is one of the two medieval gates of Milan that still exist in the modern city. It is sited along the ancient "Navigli Ring" on the perimeter of the medieval walls of the city.
Antonio Nessi was an Italian engraver, painter, and photographer.
Villa Monastero is located in Varenna, Province of Lecco, on the shore of Lake Como. The villa lies south of the village, halfway between Varenna and Fiumelatte, and includes a botanical garden, a museum, and a convention center. The villa hosts summer courses for the "Enrico Fermi" International School of Physics, and has heard lectures by more than thirty-four Nobel Laureates.
![]() | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porta Torre (Como) . |
Coordinates: 45°48′23.99″N9°05′06.7″E / 45.8066639°N 9.085194°E