The city in Italy, Verona, has deep roots in Italian history.
Located in northern Italy’s Veneto region, the old, medieval town was built along the Adige River. It’s famous for being the setting
of Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet." The city is also known
for its many gates which served their function during medieval times.
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| Porta Palio |
Porta Palio is a gate
or portal of the former outer walls of the medieval city. The gate was designed
and built by Michele Sanmicheli during 1550–1561. He never saw the completed project because he
died in 1559. Other projects of his were Porta Nuova and Porta San Zeno, both
examples of the Renaissance time and style.
The purpose of the gate was to combine the demands for
protection with a Renaissance architectural piece. The robust Doric Columns give
the structure elegance and convey strength with roman influences. The facades of the door are different from
each other- the one towards the city is somber while the other is elaborate to
welcome those entering the town. The site previously had a medieval portal,
called the Palio gate.
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| Arco dei Gavi |
The Arco dei Gavi is another
gate in Verona. It was commissioned by
the gens Gavia, a noble Roman family, and designed by
architect L. Vitruvious Cerdo in First Century AD. It stood at the beginning of
the Via Postumia, the
Roman road leading to the city. During the Middle Ages it was used as a gate in the
walls and the city’s council used it as an entrance when it was decided to
surround Verona with a line of walls.
During the Napoleons rule in Italy, the
French engineers demolished it, moved its ruins to a square, then to the Arena.
Using some of the original stones, a reconstruction of the original arch was
completed in 1932 based on wooden models made before it was demolished and
proposed reconstruction drawings from as early as the 16th century by Palladio.
The reconstruction of the Gavi Arch under Mussolini was in line with fascist
Italy, exhorting Italy to identify with an Imperial Roman past. The arch was
rebuilt next to Castelvecchio, not far from its original location.
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| Visible part of Porta Leoni |
Porta Leoni was built during the
Roman rule by P. Valerius, Q. Caecilius, Q. Servilius and P. Cornelius,
and restructured during imperial times. It was connected to the road which led
to Bologna and Aquileia. Throughout the ages, Porta Leoni has gone by many
names. The original Roman name is unknown, however, during the Middle Ages it
was called Porta San Fermo, after the nearby church. In the
Renaissance era, it was known as Arco di Valerio. The current name,
Porta Leoni, comes from a Roman tomb decorated
with two lions (Leoni).
The gate has a square structures, with a
double façade and two towers which looked towards the countryside. Now only half
of the inner façade, covered with white stone in the imperial age is visible.
The original decorations are all lost. The lower part is similar to that
of Porta Borsar while the
upper part has an exedra with twisted columns.
Porta San Giorgio was
constructed between 1321 and 1324 by Cangrande I della Scala. Under Venician rule, the walls of Verona
were enlarged, and this gate was rebuilt, starting in 1525 under designs of
Falconetto. The work remained incomplete until 1840, when completed under
Austrian rule. The part of the arch in the Renaissance style which remains is
the outer wall, resembling a triumphal arch. The decoration utilizes Doric
style and is decorated with shields and weapons. At one time, the gate had a
moat and drawbridge. The interior passageway had slits for weapons.
Porta San Giorgio was the access from left bank of Adige River. The
name derives from nearby church of San Giorgio in Braida.
Porta San Zeno was
designed and built during 1542 by Sanmicheli and resembles a previous project
of his, Zara in Dalmatia. The building around the gate has served as the offices
of the Carnival of Verona
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| Porta Vescovo |
Porta Vescovo was designed and built during
1520 by the architect Teodoro Trivulzio.
It is named Vescovo,
because the gate once collected a toll benefitting the bishop.
The external façade of the central arch is decorated with marble
with a form resembling an ancient Roman
triumphant arch. In the mid-19th-century, barracks, an arsenal, and
pedestrian entry points were added. The structure stands near Verona Porta
Vescovo Railway Station.
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| Porta Borsari |
Porta Borsari dates
to the 1st century AD, though it was most likely built over a pre-existing gate
from the 1st century BC.
The gate's Roman name was Porta
Iovia, as it was located near a small temple dedicated to Jupiter. In the Middle Ages it was called Porta di San Zeno.
The façade, in local white limestone,
has two arches flanked by semi-columns with Corinthian capitals which supports entablature and pediment. In the upper
part is a two-floor wall with twelve arched windows, some of which are included
in small niches with triangular pediment.
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