Centro Storico

A tour of the historic center can begin at Porta Alfonsina, built in the 15th century as part of the city walls.

Commissioned by Alfonso of Aragon, from whom it also took its name, Porta Alfonsina is the main gate of the ancient city. Located opposite the Castle, it likely served as the entrance to the medieval and perhaps even Messapian citadel, as evidenced by some remains incorporated into the central gallery.

In its initial configuration, at the end of the 15th century, it consisted of two half-towers side by side, with the gate in the center and an open path leading to it. Previously, it was protected by a triangular ravelin and a moat crossed by a drawbridge. The two half Rondelles have characteristics similar to the corner ones of the fortified circuit, such as the Duchesca, with a first part with a vertical wall, now hidden by the filling of the old moat (the string course is in fact placed at the level of the pavement of the square), a second part with a sloping slope, separated by a torus from a third portion with a vertical wall, from which the upper crowning protrudes, supported by corbels and blind arches.

Porta Alfonsina, like the other Rondelle, in its initial configuration, dating back to the late 15th century, featured a lower upper section, defined by battlements with slits for arches and crossbows. This is still visible in the small windows, originally empty between two consecutive battlements. In the early 16th century, when it was raised, the front space between the two towers was covered with a barrel vault, closed on the façade by a three-pointed arch. Some round-holed arquebuses indicate the presence of internal spaces once essential for ground defense, now accessible only in one of the two towers.

On the main façade is the epigraph "ALFONSINA," attesting to its dedication to Alfonso I, father of King Ferrante, or to his son Alfonso II. On the other side of the entrance is a second epigraph that reads SIT VIRGO MATER FORTITUDO MEA (May the Virgin Mother be my strength). Observing the monument, it seems evident that some drawings from the Magliabechiano Codex by the Sienese master Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439-1502) were the basis for the Otranto project. The Castiglione Basin reports the existence of an inscription, placed on the arch of the door, reading: " FERDINANDUS REX DIVI ALPHONSI FILIUS DIVI FERDINANDI NEPOS ARAGONIUS PORTAS MUROS AC TURRES POST RECEPTUM A TURCIS OPPIDUM SUO REG. STIPENDIO E FUNDAMENTIS FACINDUM CURAVIT TRANSLATION: King Ferdinand of Aragon, son of the divine Alfonso, grandson of the divine Ferdinand, after having reconquered the city from the Turks, oversaw the construction from the foundations of the gates, walls, and towers, with his royal salary.

Fonte: comune di Otranto