Late August holidaymakers paddle in the turquoise Tyrrhenian Sea in this view through the 13th century Porta Pescara of the Piazza Marina beach and harbour wall at Cefalu, Sicily, Italy. The Porta Pescara is the only gateway to survive of four that once pierced the historic town’s defensive walls. It is also known locally as the Porta sul Mare or Door of the Viceroy.
Cefalu, Sicily, Italy: a gateway to the sea … view of the old harbour wall and Piazza Marina beach, busy with paddling holidaymakers in late August, through the graceful Late Medieval outer arch of the 13th century Porta Pescara, the only one of four original gates in the town’s defensive walls to survive. Cefalu, like many ancient strongholds overlooking the sea, was once completely surrounded by walls, with two gateways on the seaward side, one facing the mountainous hinterland and the other, the Porta Antica, protecting the old town. The Porta Pescara, known locally as the Porta sul Mare, was well placed to fight off pirate attacks. The Porta Pescara was built between 1200 and 1300 AD, during the regency of the Ventimiglia family, and It retains some small columns from that period. The seaward side of the arch is surmounted by the coat of arms of the Kings of Sicily. The gateway gained its current official name after it was extended and partly rebuilt in 1570 by the Spanish viceroy of Sicily, Francesco Ferdinando d’Avalos, who was also the Marquis of Pescara. Cefalu citizens still sometimes call it the Door of the Viceroy.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Cefalu, Sicily, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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