Postierla gate

The Porta takes its name from the fact that it provides access to the underlying Borgo della Postierla. La Porta della Postierla, known by the local elders as ‘Purtaza dla Sterna’ may be mistakenly identified with a rescue gate, whereas in reality it was the main access to the wall.

In ancient times, it was equipped with a drawbridge, the recessed arms of which are still clearly visible. Above the round arch is a loophole, now walled up, for arquebuses or other arms arm.

On the left side of the gate stands a circular tower scarped at the base or equipped with a slit for defending the entrance, also walled up and today difficult to identify. A drawing from the mid-19th century shows this keep covered by a wooden roof.

The battlements, originally Ghibelline, have recently been deprived of their characteristic ‘swallowtails’ and improperly reduced to Guelph. In the curtain wall to the right of the gate, you can still catch a glimpse of an example of the old battlements, with alternate crenellation slits, inserted into the wall of a more recent construction.

Looking at the materials used, it is possible to distinguish two different phases of construction: the older  part (gate and curtain wall) is made of stone ashlars, the more recent part (tower and masonry) above the curtain wall, is in brick.

How to get there: By car SS 67 Tosco-Romagnola 10 km from Forlì.