Mura di Noli con torri e porte

Noli's walls, towers and gates link the historic settlement with the hilltop castle of Monte Ursino. Their surviving masonry preserves the defensive framework of the medieval maritime town.

Why it matters

Permission to build walls and fortified structures was granted in 1181. Later circuits developed around the settlement, combining communal defences with the towers of prominent families. The system reflects both the town's political ambitions and the need to protect its coastal position.

What to notice

Porta di Piazza marks a principal entrance through the later medieval walls. The Torre del Comune combines a local green-stone base with brickwork and swallowtail battlements. Torre Papone is linked by an arch with the castle's wall-walk; its Gothic windows contrast with its documented use for arms and gunpowder. Other fragments are incorporated into later buildings, showing that the defensive fabric survives in more than isolated monuments.

Context and history

The walls grew through successive medieval campaigns rather than a single construction phase. A sixteenth-century ravelin outside Porta di Piazza was demolished in the late nineteenth century. Records from 1581 identify Torre Papone as a munitions store, illustrating the continued adaptation of medieval structures as military technology changed.