«The Sommoborgo gate (also called Parma gate) is perhaps the most important gate of Pontremoli which, facing the Apennines, was built to block the way to the unwanted troops and soldiers who descended from the Apennine passes in the 17th-18th centuries. The currently visible gate dates back to 1607, as documented by a plaque placed above the entrance portal, which reveals that the construction of the gate took place under the rule of Philip III, King of Spain. Pontremoli, which was under the Duchy of Milan, became part of the Spanish territories in 1555, when Philip, already Duke of Milan, through the abdication of his father, the Emperor Charles V, became King of Spain. The seventeenth-century gate replaces ancient defensive structures that already existed in the medieval period. In fact, written documentation attests to the existence of a gate defined as “Supremaburghi” or “Supremapopuli” or even “gate of the Sommoborgo moat”. Indeed, in ancient times the defensive structure was associated with a moat, covered in 1560, with vaulted structures. Following a major flood in 1732, the gate itself and the road supports were restored in 1755 under Emperor Francis I of Lorraine. (taken from “Historical-architectural guide to the castles of Tuscan Lunigiana” by Nicola Gallo, 2002)

The flood of 1732 also destroyed the bridge adjacent to the gate itself; looking at the bed of the river it is still possible to observe the piles of the previous bridge, initially built with masonry arches. The current ford, on the other hand, was rebuilt along a different axis.

photos: arch. Elia Santini