Porta Dante

Porta Dante, at Piazza dei Martiri in Belluno, was rebuilt in 1865 and dedicated to Dante Alighieri as a symbol of Italian cultural unity under Austrian rule.

Why it matters

The gate compresses several phases of Belluno's history. A medieval service opening called the Ussolo was replaced in 1669 by the Venetian Porta Reniera. In 1865, during the final year of Habsburg rule, the gate was rebuilt and renamed for Dante as a patriotic statement, a declaration made in the presence of the Austrian garrison.

What to notice

The bronze bust of Dante was commissioned from sculptor Luigi Borro on the advice of painter Ippolito Caffi and scholar Osvaldo Monti. A bronze lily of Florence and the date 15 May 1865 accompany it. The older stone crest of Daniele Renier, the Venetian rector who gave the earlier gate its name, remains visible. Gregorio Pagani Cesa designed the composition.

Context and history

The gate once formed part of Belluno's medieval walls. Venice opened the Porta Reniera in 1669; in 1865 the structure was rebuilt as Porta Dante during the sixth centenary of the poet's birth. The unveiling took place at four in the morning on 14 May after permission had been refused. Austria ceded the Veneto in 1866, and the patriotic dedication became part of Belluno's civic history.