Porta Soprana

The Porta Soprana, in Genoa

The Porta Soprana is a monumental gate of the twelfth century, vestige of the medieval ramparts of Genoa, that marks the entrance of the historic centre. The Genoa audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this fortification with two twin towers, raised during the urban expansion of the twelfth century to defend a freshly independent city, and restored in 1890, witness of the defensive face of the "Superba".

History

You know Genoa the maritime, Genoa the aristocrat, Genoa the gourmet. But what about Genoa the defensive? It is in front of this jewel of Genoese heritage that you discover this face. In the middle of the year one thousand, the Italian city, freed from the tutelage of the Byzantine and Carolingian empires, tasted the pleasures of independence. Aware that this situation could tip over at any moment, the population had built, between 1151 and 1159, a belt of ramparts around the main districts. The medieval urban expansion continued ten years later with the appearance of three gates with two twin towers: the Porta dei Vacca, the Porta Aurea and the Porta Soprana, this last being the one that faces you. Restored in 1890, this fortification continues to mark, in the finest of ways, the entrance of the historic centre of Genoa. With its two slender towers, it recalls the time when the city had to protect itself from covetousness, and offers a striking contrast with the sumptuous palaces of the triumphant Republic.

What to see

Here you admire a monumental gate of the twelfth century with two twin towers, vestige of the ramparts raised between 1151 and 1159 to defend a freshly independent Genoa; restored in 1890, it marks the entrance of the historic centre and reveals the defensive face of the city. The Porta Soprana is a jewel of the medieval heritage of Genoa. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Porta Soprana stands at the entrance of the historic centre of Genoa, near the house of Christopher Columbus and the cloister of Sant'Andrea, reachable on foot. You admire its towers from the square; the interior access follows the conditions in force, which vary. You discover it during a walk.

What is the Porta Soprana in Genoa?

It is a monumental gate of the twelfth century with two twin towers, vestige of the ramparts raised between 1151 and 1159 to defend Genoa, freshly independent from the Byzantine and Carolingian empires; one of the three gates of the city with the Porta dei Vacca and the Porta Aurea, restored in 1890, it marks the entrance of the historic centre.

Where is the Porta Soprana in Genoa?

At the entrance of the historic centre of Genoa, near the house of Christopher Columbus, in Italy.