Cittadella Vecchia: Pisa’s Medieval Riverside Fortress
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Republic of Florence, Republic of Pisa
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Citadel
On this page14 sections
History
Cittadella Vecchia is an ancient fortress in Pisa, Italy, at the seaward end of the city’s northern defensive walls beside the Arno. Formerly known as the terzana or terzanaia, a medieval shipyard and arsenal complex, it developed from the Pisan Republic’s naval construction centre in the early thirteenth century and later became a fortress during the medieval and early modern periods.
The Pisan Arsenal and Fortification
After important naval victories across the Mediterranean, the Pisan Republic concentrated its shipbuilding activities in this area during the early thirteenth century. The shipyard complex included the republican arsenals, later joined by Medici arsenals, and served for the construction and launching of Pisan ships. At first, the area lay outside Pisa’s medieval walls, but it was incorporated into the fortified city in 1261.
In 1290, the Pisans erected the Ghibelline Tower to strengthen this militarily important riverside area, protect the road along the Arno, and control access to the Porta Degathia, also called the Porta Maris. The terms Ghibelline and Guelph refer to rival political alignments in medieval Italy, broadly associated with imperial and papal interests. About thirty years later, the Ponte a Mare was built opposite the gate. A flood of the Arno destroyed the bridge in 1869, leaving its arch springings and the fortified buildings that protected its approaches.
Florentine Transformation
During Florence’s first domination of Pisa in 1406, the new rulers transformed the remaining republican-arsenal structures. They demolished the surviving internal walls and created the fortress later called Cittadella Vecchia. The name distinguished it from the Cittadella Nuova, now the Giardino di Scotto, which was constructed on the opposite side of the city from 1440.
The fortress was used successively by the Republic of Pisa, the Republic of Florence, the Duchy of Florence, and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Its strategic military function ended during the nineteenth century. The names of the four surrounding towers remain uncertain. The tower first called Ghibellina was later demolished and rebuilt as the Torre Guelfa, whose present form follows a reconstruction completed in 1956 after its destruction during the Second World War.
War Damage and Redevelopment
In the early twentieth century, the area was known as Piazza d’Armi. Buildings there were used by the 7th Artillery Regiment and the 22nd Infantry Regiment, together with a small theatre. Allied bombing in 1944 severely damaged the citadel. The fortress buildings were completely damaged, while the republican arsenals lost their roof. In July 1944, retreating German forces mined the Torre Guelfa, which was reconstructed in 1956.
After the rubble was cleared, Giovanni Michelucci designed a redevelopment project called the Parco Galileiano. Although only partly successful, it created a large green area for the city. The surviving section of the thirteenth-century republican arsenals was completely restored, and the fortress area later underwent further recovery and redevelopment. In October 2010, the municipality acquired the area as part of a broader urban-requalification project.
Remains
Cittadella Vecchia occupies the northern, seaward extremity of Pisa’s historic defensive enclosure beside the Arno. Brick is the principal construction material. The restored complex combines fortified walls, towers, gates, arsenal buildings, and the green area formed through the Parco Galileiano redevelopment.
Walls, Gates, and Arsenal Buildings
Riverside Defenses
Along the Arno, the defensive wall contains brick arches inserted into the thirteenth-century structures. The former warehouses retain blocked-up arcades from the fourteenth century. These remains belong to the area’s earlier shipyard and arsenal functions, which continued alongside its defensive role.
Porta Degathia and Porta delle Galee
The Porta Degathia, or Porta Maris, had an outer gate and a double drawbridge. The structures associated with the drawbridges remain visible within the fortification. A further gate, identified as the Porta delle Galee, is also associated with the citadel.
Republican and Medici Arsenals
The site contains remains of both the republican and Medici arsenals. The surviving part of the republican arsenal consists of thirteenth-century brick structures. Its roof, damaged during the Second World War, was restored, and the surviving arsenal section is now completely restored.
Towers and Bridge Remains
Torre Guelfa
The Torre Guelfa flanks the citadel and is associated with a rebuilding in the mid-fifteenth century. After wartime destruction and the 1944 demolition by retreating German forces, it was reconstructed in its former form in 1956.
Torre di Sant’Agnese
The Torre di Sant’Agnese stands at the northeast corner of the fortress. Dating from the fifteenth century, it is described as the oldest surviving tower of Cittadella Vecchia.
Northwestern and Southwestern Towers
A tower at the northwest corner, possibly called the Canto Tower, was converted into a bastion dedicated to Saint George. A bastion is a projecting fortification designed to strengthen a defensive wall and guard its approaches. This structure is undergoing recovery. Ruins of another tower survive at the southwest corner. It was probably similar to the Torre Guelfa, but its identification remains uncertain, since it is called either Ghibellina or the Torre del Leone.
Ponte a Mare
The remains of the Ponte a Mare comprise the springings of its arches and the fortified buildings that protected the bridge entrances. Together with the visible drawbridge structures inside the fortification, they preserve elements of the crossings and controlled approaches that once connected this riverside defense to the surrounding city.
