Porta Galliera

"Porta Galliera could be called the “Gate of the hostile fortress” given the proximity of the fortification that Cardinal/Lord Bertrando del Poggetto had built just to the east between 1330 and 1333, and which in the space of just under two centuries suffered repeated destruction and reconstruction (between 1330 and 1511 it was built and destroyed five times). In reality, from the very beginning it had the important function of connecting land and water routes towards the plain and towards Ferrara. Built in the 13th century with a keep, it was restored several times in the two following centuries and in 1598 on the occasion of the visit of Pope Clement VIII. It was rebuilt in its current form between 1660 and 1663. Among the events that saw it as the protagonist, we remember the transit in January 1494 of the convoy of boats coming from the river port of Corticella. This convoy included a bucintoro carrying Giovanni II Bentivoglio and a select entourage of his illustrious guests and inaugurated the canal and the new port inside Porta Galliera amidst the acclamations of the authorities and the people."