Torrione di Porta Santa Maria

At Corciano's southern gate, the Torrione di Porta Santa Maria is a massive circular tower begun in 1482 to strengthen the castle's defences. Its hourglass profile became an emblem of the town; since 2015, its interior has housed an exhibition centre devoted to medieval and Renaissance culture.

Why it matters

After Braccio Fortebraccio besieged and captured Corciano in 1416, the castle's medieval defences were no longer sufficient. Work began in 1482 on a large round tower beside Porta Santa Maria and was completed in 1488. The design is attributed to Pietro Lombardo, with execution by Bartolo di Meo Lombardo. Its circular body narrows at the centre and flares at the base and crown, a distinctive profile for a tower built in the age of artillery.

What to notice

The tower and Porta Santa Maria, the only surviving one of the town's two ancient gates, form a single defensive composition. Inside, three rooms preserve material from Corciano's civic and military history. The street-level Sala dei Massari contains military clothing and weapons used in a typical castle of the Perugia territory in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The upper Sala delle Bertesche holds wooden sculptures from those centuries, including Saint Sebastian, a Madonna variously called the Annunciata or Madonna della Cintura, and Saint Michael the Archangel. It also preserves community records, including the deliberation that decreed construction of the tower, and the castle statute in its sixteenth-century form. The lower Sala della Chiave displays the key to the last access gate to the town, used until the 1960s, alongside historic photographs.

Context and history

Corciano had been within Perugia's orbit since its first documentation in 1136. The castle was sacked by the Compagnia Bianca in 1364 and taken by Braccio Fortebraccio after a long siege in 1416. The Torrione became a central element in the defences rebuilt after these assaults. Its later civic role is reflected in the exhibition rooms, which preserve the community's statute, deliberations and sculptural heritage. Saint Michael has a particular local association: the municipality notes that the same archangel appears in the church of Santa Maria Assunta holding the town as a sign of protection.