Steps lead up to the ramparts of Torrione del Barco - part of the historic city walls of Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: steps lead up to ramparts within the Torrione del Barco, a key feature of the ancient red brick city walls that encircle the historic centre of Ferrara almost without interruption for six miles (nine kilometres). The Torrione del Barco measures 70 feet (21 metres) in diameter. It was built under the supervision of engineer Biagio Rossetti (1444 - 1516) from 1493 onwards, on the orders of Duke Ercole I d'Este (1431 - 1505), and was restored in the 1980s and 1990s. The large barrel vault of the tower's blockhouse, seen here, was flanked by a short ravelin (triangular fortification or detached outwork) with an enclosed staircase, which provided access to firing positions inside the blockhouse. Ferrara’s fortifications make use of all the defence techniques used in the 1400s and 1500s: city gates, bastions, large towers, gun slots and embrasures. Most of the walls to the north were built between 1493 and 1505 and are marked out by small semi-circular towers and a long 'patrol path' formerly used by sentries. The stretch of walls to the east was designed and built for Duke Alfonso I d'Este of Ferrara (1476 - 1534), between 1512 and 1518. The southern fortifications were built for Duke Alfonso II (1559 - 1597), between 1575 and 1585. The Duchy of Ferrara was ruled by the House of Este from 1146 to 1597. Duke Ercole I enlarged and beautified Ferrara, making it one of the first cities of Europe. Duke Alfonso I was a noted engineer and patron of the arts who employed painters Titian and Giovanni Bellini; he married Lucrezia Borgia in 1501. Duke Alfonso II was the last duke of Ferrara; although he married three times, he had no children.
Size: 2683px × 3999px
Location: City walls, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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