The Rivellino of Porta San Nazaro
The Rivellino of Porta San Nazaro Piazza della Repubblica, 1 - Brescia BS
Brescia, with its streets, preserves traces of a centuries-old history, marked by walls, defenses, and urban transformations. The Ravelin of Porta San Nazaro is one of these concrete signs of the past.
A trace saved by time
In 1465, the Republic of Venice chose to strengthen the city walls. New ravelins arose in front of the five access gates, including that of Porta San Nazaro. In 1489, a second semicircular wall, approximately 80 meters in diameter, was constructed: an imposing bastion designed to defend the southern side of the city. Today, a fragment remains visible in Piazza della Repubblica. Instead, it once dominated the countryside south of Porta San Nazaro, in the Bottonaga area.
Over the centuries, Brescia grew. Urban planning transformed the city’s face, as many walls vanished to make way for modern avenues. The Rivellino, once buried, reappeared in 2016 during district heating backbone work.
To preserve its memory, the structure was extracted and relocated a few meters through a complex engineering intervention: horizontal cutting with diamond wire, lifting, and transfer to a special trolley. A precise, almost surgical operation.
Today, the fragment sits between Viale Stazione and Via XX Settembre. It stands silent yet present, continuing to tell the story of fortified Brescia.
A corner of the past between today's streets. To see. To be understood. To remember.