Castelvecchio is a medieval fortress in the historic center of Verona, on the right bank of the Adige River. Today, the complex houses the Civic Museum of the same name, one of the city’s most important cultural institutions and a major landmark of Scaliger military architecture. Castelvecchio was built during the rule of the Della Scala, the dynasty that governed Verona from 1262 to 1387. It was not conceived only as a noble residence, but as a fortified political and military structure connected to the city walls, the river, and a private escape route. Its original name was Castello di San Martino in Aquaro, taken from the Church of San Martino that once stood in the area of the present Court of Arms. The church is documented as very ancient, and its remains are still visible inside the castle area. The name Castel Vecchio, meaning “Old Castle”, became common only after the Visconti built Castel San Pietro on the hill above Verona. From that moment, the older Scaliger fortress on the Adige needed a new name to distinguish it from the newer defensive stronghold. The complex is important because it combines several layers of Verona’s history: Scaliger rule, Visconti control, Read more [...]
Tag: Piero Gazzola in Verona
Ponte Pietra
Built in Roman times, Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge) is the oldest bridge on the Adige River, in Verona. SHORT HISTORY A first wooden bridge was built on this place during the construction of Via Postumia, in 148 BC. Subsequently, the wooden bridge was replaced by the stone one. In the following centuries, the bridge was damaged many times, mainly due to the flooding of the Adige River, in particular in 1007, in 1153, in 1232 and again in 1239. In 1298, the Lord of Verona Alberto della Scala had the tower on the western bank of the river restored and the adjacent arch rebuilt, while in 1368, his great-grandson, Cansignorio della Scala, built an aqueduct on the same bridge that supplied water to several houses in the historic center of the city. During the same time, the bridge was equipped with a second tower on the eastern bank of the river. In 1508, the City Council asked the architect Fra’ Giocondo to supervise the reconstruction of the Roman bridge, but the work began only in 1520, after the death of the architect, and was finished one year later. After a few centuries of relative tranquility, in 1801, the tower Read more [...]
Ponte di Castelvecchio
Ponte di Castelvecchio, also known as Ponte Scaligero, is a medieval bridge in Verona, on the Adige River, part of the fortress of Castelvecchio. SHORT HISTORY The bridge was built between 1354 and 1356 under the lordship of Cangrande II della Scala, to ensure the fortress of Castelvecchio with an escape route to the Adige Valley, in case of a riot by one of the enemy factions within the city. The structure of the bridge remained untouched for about five centuries, until 1802, when the French, following the Treaty of Lunéville, demolished the tower on the southern side and eliminated the battlements. In 1820, the battlements were reconstructed by the Austrians on the orders of Emperor Francis I of Austria. The bridge was destroyed on April 24, 1945, by the retreating Germans, along with all the other bridges in Verona. In the post-war period, the Municipality of Verona decided to rebuild it together with other important monuments lost during the Second World War. For the reconstruction project, the architect Piero Gazzola collaborated with the engineer Alberto Minghetti for the technical part and with the architect Libero Cecchini for the artistic part. The work began at the end of 1945, Read more [...]
