WHAT TO SEE - Fortifications

Porta di Manno

Fortifications

Porta di Manno

 

Address: Via Porta di Manno

Description

The only one of the city gates with a pointed arch, it is built of stone blocks directly onto the rocky spur of the hill on which the town developed. In addition to the archivolt, it still has parts of the piers with ledges and, on the inside, a key stone which housed the closing doors.
Set into a plastered facade, today it pertains to a house probably built onto the defensive walls. It is topped by a balcony and flanked by a small window. Inside the vaulted passage there is an arched doorway, presumably for access to the building.

Historical Notes

Porta di Manno is one of the three gates of the medieval city walls - of which some sections still remain - built in the 12th century to protect the original settlement. The village grew up around the baronial palace and the square tower, which is still a prominent element of the fortified wall. The gate is situated at the foot of the slope leading to the neighbourhood of San Nicola - the oldest part of the village - whose name derives from the church.