Porta Soprana gate description and photos - Italy: Genoa (Topic)

Porta Soprana description and photos - Italy: Genoa. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Porta Soprana.

Photo and description

The Porta Soprana gate served for some time as the main entrance gate to Genoa. Today it is one of the best-preserved medieval stone buildings, located on the top of the Piano di Sant'Andrea hill near the historic center of Revecca, the old city quarter. Nearby is the house-museum of Christopher Columbus, the most famous native of Genoa. Both Porta Soprana towers and the Columbus Museum are open to the public.

The historic gate was "swallowed" by the construction boom that erupted in the city at the beginning of the 14th century: under the Porta Soprana arch between the two towers, a one-story house was built, in which the son of Samson, the executioner, who beheaded the French king Louis XVI time of revolution. In the 19th century, another floor was added to the house.

In the same 19th century, both towers of Porta Soprana were adapted as a prison, as was the nearby monastery of Sant'Andrea. Prisoners and jailers lived in the same room. Around 1890, the gates, the battlements of which had already disappeared from the bastions, were restored by the architect Alfredo d'Andrade, head of the Directorate of Fine Arts. With his participation, the north tower of Porta Soprana and the arch overlooking the central aisle were also restored. The column capitals were supplemented with Romanesque sculptures of eagles. The South Tower was located within the boundaries of a residential building until the 1930s, and was later restored under the leadership of Orlando Grosso.

We also recommend reading Balbalasang Balbalan National Park description and photos - Philippines: Luzon Island

Topic: Porta Soprana gate description and photos - Italy: Genoa.