Historical Notes

Porta San Nicola is of the entrances to the old medieval town, built together with Porta Pazziana in the second half of the 14th century, when the walls of the village were enlarged. It opened to the west, onto the rocky Via della Foce and the church of San Nicola, towards Villalago and Scanno. Above the gate, at the corner of the wall, a very extensive defensive tower is still visible, with a crossbow slit and and trap doors. This type of defensive structure was placed along the curtain wall of houses, which were built on the rocky crags and together protect the town. The entrance way was used in the transhumance. During the Renaissance, the passing herds climbed to Pizzo Marcello, through the valley of San Nicola. Along the way there was also a small devotional church, now in ruins, dedicated to the saint, which is linked to agricultural activity of pastoralism.