Castelvecchio (Old Castle) is a medieval castle located in the historical center of Verona, currently used as the seat of the homonymous civic museum. The castle is the most important military construction of the Scaliger dynasty, the family that ruled the city in the Middle Ages. Initially, the fortification was called Castello di San Martino in Aquaro, a name derived from a pre-existing church located on this place, dating back to the 8th century. The complex took the name of Castelvecchio after the construction of Castel San Pietro. SHORT HISTORY The construction of the castle was commissioned by Cangrande II della Scala in 1354. The fortress was placed to the south of the municipal wall, and took the form of a fortified residence, around the large rectangular enclosure of the Court of Arms (Corte d’Armi). The castle was completed in 1376 by Antonio and Bartolomeo II della Scala. At the same time, Ponte di Castelvecchio, the fortified bridge over the Adige, was built. The bridge, for the exclusive use of the castle, served as an escape route to the Adige Valley, preventing the river from becoming an insurmountable barrier. During the domination of the Visconti family, who took the 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 [...]
