A bridge too far (from the river)

+ Admiral George of Antioch in the reign of Roger III, had this bridge across the river Oreto built when he arrived around 1132. Since then the river has been diverted. It was built entirely of dry stone and is large for its time. A nice bit of Norman engineering.
+ The harbour side of Porta Felice, one of the 5 main gateways into the old town; named after Felice Orsini, wife to Viceroy Marcantonio II Colonna, commander of the Papal fleet at the Battle of Lepanto (1571).
The lower section has a rather neat design, while the upper one is more elaborate; probably because it was started in 1584 and finished in 1637, when many XVIIth century Italian monuments became more fancy.
Here is what Goethe had to say about it:
"Our first business was to examine the city, which is easy enough to survey, but difficult to know; easy, because a street a mile long, from the lower to the upper gate, from the sea to the mountain, intersects it, and is itself again crossed, nearly in its middle, by another. Whatever lies on these two great lines is easily found; but in the inner streets a stranger soon loses himself, and without a guide will never extricate himself from their labyrinths. (..) Through the singular gateway, which consists of two vast pillars, which are left unconnected above, in order that the tower-high car of S. Rosalia may be able to pass through, on her famous festival, we were driven into the city."

+ The gate called Porta Nuova because it was opened as recently as 1460. In 1535 Emperor Charles V passed through, followed by thousands of Arab prisoners and Christians he had freed from slavery after conquering Tunis. Fifty years later Viceroy Marcantonio Colonna decided to rebuild the gate in the form of a triumphal arch which celebrated the victory of the Emperor, hence the four telamons portraying Arab prisoners.Читать далее