Discovering fortresses and castles

Corinaldo

The walls, synonymous with freedom and independence; precious asset, therefore, and object of constant and careful attention by the municipal authorities that in the fifteenth century Statutes insert the rule that obliges the Podestà and the Priors to take care of the defensive perimeter. Monumental heritage, pride and pride of the Corinthians who for centuries have assured the community defense and protection from the besieging armies, as well as freedom, autonomy and sovereignty in their decisions, the walls represent the most beautiful, This is the best preserved fortified perimeter of the Marche. The journey that will accompany the visitor will then be that of the walls, the war and life, starting, if you like, from Porta Nova, the last access to the historic center, made on the occasion of the addition of the Renaissance (1484-1490). The Tower of the Spur has always been recognized as a symbol of the walls of Corinaldo: it looks like a powerful pentagonal tower, about 18 meters high, built in the fifteenth century to defend the Cassero that stood where now is the Church of Suffrage. The project, although there are no documents that prove it, is attributed to Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Sienese architect designer of many fortifications of the Duchy of Urbino

Ostra

The only defensive bulwark surrounding Ostra is the walls of medieval origin. It is assumed that they were largely buried, to build the ring road. They have a length of about 1,200 meters, are terrapienate and have a height of even 10 meters. The thickness, in some points, at the foundation reaches even 3 meters. These are interspersed still by 9 towers that originally were 12. The walls were interrupted by the presence of two (double) doors, one on the north side (sea gate) and the other on the south side (market gate). These two at the sound of the municipal bell regulated the life of the village. The current appearance, a continuous parapet without merlons and hanging arches in the eastern and southern – eastern part dates back to the fifteenth century.

Ostra Vetere

The most interesting artistic testimonies of its past are represented by sacred and secular monuments that are well harmonized with the unique urban structure of the town, including the ancient walls three-fifteenth century, of which the halls, Located along a stretch of the walls, they represent a characteristic covered walkway. Along the fortified perimeter dating back to the fifteenth century are the three gates to the village. Porta IV Agosto, formerly Porta Santa Croce, is one of the three entrances to the medieval center. Its current appearance is the result of a late rearrangement carried out with exorcist intent. Porta Pesa of the fourteenth century. It is the most prominent of the entrances to the walled center, with a rectangular plan and characterized by a pointed arch and above brackets. Beyond the door winds the agile staircase that, going up the back of the hill, leads to Piazza Giovanni Paolo II, overlooking the church of Santa Maria di Piazza. Porta Nuova where the medieval Cassero stood and extends on one side of the flanking castle walls.

lunch break

Barbara

The village of Barbara consists of two parts: the Castle, that is the thirteenth-century fortified center surrounded by a fortified perimeter and bordered to the south by Porta Roma and to the north by the gate of the arch of Santa Barbara and the village, or the medieval town that from the door of the arch of Santa Barbara stretches in a slope or piaggia towards the neoclassical church dell’Assunta. The castle, renovated in the fifteenth century is still surrounded by a wall with shoe, equipped with four corner fortifications and culminating in an imposing tower, currently called “the Tower”. The two small towers on the North side, those overlooking Via Castelfidardo, are substantially intact, still have the artillery post, battlements or vents for colubrins or arquebuses; the high tower on the right of Porta Roma was instead rebuilt in the 60s in place of a previous fifteenth-century tower ruined after the bombings of World War II. You can see the base of a fourth house-tower, located between the gate of the arch of Santa Barbara and Via delle Mura.

Serra de' Conti

The historic centre of Serra de’ Conti offers a significant example of a 13th century urban development, which was first adapted and transformed into a late medieval and then a modern era under the pressure of economic and social changes. Along the perimeter of the ancient city, located on a hilly ridge along the valley of the river Misa, runs the walls broken by ten towers and a monumental fortified door.Of the three original gates remains only the Door of the Cross, the other two were demolished during the 800. The Door of the Cross is one of the most significant examples of military architecture three-fifteenth century. Originally it was equipped with a drawbridge and guarded by towers. Porta Santa Maria was demolished in 1867 because it hindered the transit of wagons and deprived the convent of San Carlo of air and light. The same fate befell the door of Santa Lucia, rebuilt in a more advanced position and in neo-classical style in the mid-800 and partially dismantled after 1882 for reasons similar to those seen for the door of Santa Maria.

Arcevia

The visit of Arcevia can start from the mighty city walls (XIII-XVI), walkable in several points, of which there are some circular towers, two polygonal towers, and four of the five original gates, of which we note the Porta Romana, Porta di Santa Lucia, completely reconstructed with the house and the rivellino in 1476 and the splendid Porta Sant’Agostino (1522), obtained in a truncated washer, with still the bertesca and the centers of sliding of the drawbridge, both work of Lombard masters. Finally, the Porta del Sasso, now reduced to a simple round arch, in the ancient village.From here, in case of danger, you could communicate with the nine castles scattered around the surrounding area, small fortified villages of plant three-fifteenth century, which have preserved their typological peculiarities to this day. The nine castles of Arcevia are small towns where the houses are surrounded and protected by mighty fortified walls, from which you can enjoy beautiful views. They are located in small villages of great historical and artistic importance that deserve to be visited one by one. Avacelli, Castiglioni, Caudino, Loretello, Montale, Nidastore, Palazzo, Piticchio, San Pietro in Musio, preserve the evidence of stormy times where the walls were the only effective and real defense. Steep access ramps, bastion doors, towers and gatehouses, covered walkways are common elements of these fortified places.

Rocca Roveresca

The Rocca Roveresca can be defined as an extraordinary book of history: in fact it is the result of the overlapping of defensive structures that have followed one another over the centuries, since the origins of the city, in a site of decisive strategic importance. In fact, it has the characteristic of enclosing within its walls, not always in a hidden way, the previous fortifications. The unknown designer of a “not very large rock” wanted by Cardinal Egidio Albornoz in 1350 incorporates the ancient stone tower and will in turn be incorporated by the architects operating, at the turn of the mid-fifteenth century, at the court of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. Finally, Giovanni Della Rovere and the architects Luciano Laurana and Baccio Pontelli will give the fortress its current mighty shape in the last quarter of the 15th century. After the occasional residential use of the Roveresco period, the Rocca was used as a papal prison. Are peeping in the tour testimonies of times apparently disappeared (the tower early medieval, blocks of Roman times, the fourteenth-century fortress and the Malatesta) which means how the Fortress is like a book of stone and bricks that contains within itself the history of the city of Senigallia.