Saturday 4 August 2018

Medieval Walls

If medieval walls could talk they would have some amazing stories to tell. As it is they tell of history, lives lived, changing times.
The fortified walls of the hilltop village of Panicale are alive with the past. Luckily they maintain most of their original structure intact and so haven't lost their stories.

Two views from the outside of the walls at Porta Fiorentina and the crest, plus some random ones from inside.








But what intrigues me is the structure of the walls, the materials and methods used.



Then there are the alterations made over the centuries.




Plaques on the internal walls record local history - the granting of the use of the griffon on the coat of arms by Perugia,  a farmer's  rebellion in 1920, the visit of two popes (in 1543 Pope Paul III bestowed the title of Honoured Land upon Panicale), the trades of the residents and other things that were important at the time.











There are features that record everyday life such as old lamps, tying up posts and cisterns.





The ravages of time are beginning to have a detrimental effect on the walls and the plaques but as some of it has been there since the Middle Ages, I guess they will survive for some years yet.

No comments:

Post a Comment