San Giovanni Gate

This is an enormous structure consisting of an access archway leading to the city centre and buildings constructed to house the Bargello (the people’s Captain) and the guard house.

This is considered the most interesting area of the castle wall, with many of the defensive structures still unchanged over time, such as the “bianchetta”, a small portal to the left of the arch that allowed access to the city centre at night and during sieges. In addition, there are still draw bridge beams, as well as the portal hinges and holes where the beams were inserted to block the portal. There was once a wooden platform positioned inside of the arch used for reaching the diverse firing cannons.

The wall to the left of the entryway has a niche carved by a cannon hole containing an image of the Virgin Mary in 18th century paper-mache, which is a particularly popular site of devotion. The opening towards the central area passes through an ogive arch, where an iron gate once slid along a guide, functioning as an extreme form of defense against assaulting armies. Turning towards the well of the Bargello leads to a terrace positioned over the archway, where it is possible to admire the views of the city centre and surrounding countryside. This area also contains typical elements of 14th and 15th century military architecture, such as loopholes, arquebus, brackets, murder holes and merlons. The large terrace was probably covered by a corrugated roof for defense during bad weather conditions.

In November 1987, Prince Charles of Great Britain spent an extended amount of time on the terrace while painting an image of the historic centre.

Sperone Tower

The Sperone Tower has always been symbolic of the Corinaldo walls: it is an imposing pentagonal tower approximately 18 meters high, and was built in the fifteenth century to defend the castle keep located where the Suffragio Church now stands. The project has been attributed to Francesco di Giorgio Martini, an architect
from Siena who designed many fortifications in the Duche of Urbino even though documented proof does not exist. The tower was partially renovated in 1500 and again in 1900, and houses a memorial chapel dedicated to the victims of war. A cut in the walls to the east of the tower was made in the early 1900s to allow the earliest motor vehicles access to the city’s historic centre.