Porta Sant' Angelo 

(13th century)

A gate here that was documented in 1273 was incorporated into the new circuit of walls that was built in 1321 to enclose the nearby church of Sant' Angelo.  It was subsequently remodelled on a number of occasions:

• Ambrogio Maitani undertook its fortification in 1326, introducing a drawbridge over a moat.

• Girardo di Puy, the Abbot of Monmaggiore re-fortified it in 1372.

• Braccio Fortebracci commissioned Fioravante Fioravanti to restore it in 1424.

• The upper fortification was added in 1479.

• Austrian soldiers destroyed it in 1797, and it was effectively rebuilt in 1820.

• The Fascist government of Perugia restored it in 1930.

The tower was used to monitor enemy aircraft in the Second World War, and belonged to the Partito Socialista in the 1950s.

In its present form, the tower above the gate has a square  plan and is built in three storeys, each of which is in a different material (respectively stone, limestone and brick).  These materials presumably belong to successive phases of adaptation.  The present battlements were built in the restoration of 1930.

Stairs to the right (as you look at the gate from inside the city) lead to the ramparts, and to a small museum that illustrates the history of the city walls of Perugia.

Return to Walk V.