Portonovo: panoramic sight
Portonovo is not a village but a locality. There is the little romanesque church of S. Maria that is very beautif
and that probably has been indicated from Dante Alighieri in
21th song of the Paradise as shelter of S. Pier Damiani; in
fact it seems that this last one has been accommodated in then the
contiguous existing convent.
Such convent was abandoned in the year 1330 because of
landslides that fell from the overhanging mount, and because of the
pirats that infested the coasts. The pirats in these
places were not new and they still were present until the beginning of 19th century.
Interesting is also the " Napoleonico Blockhouse ", now used
as hotel, constructed in 1800 from Eugene Di Beauharnais using
the stones of the convent, already in ruin, in order to
prevent to the English ships to have water (!!).
The Tower of Guard instead was constructed by the Pope
Clemente 11th in 1716 for the sight of enemy ships and against the raids
of pirats and smugglers. Then it was acquired and lived from the poet
De Bosis.
Portonovo hits also for the landscape: wild
and resting at a time.
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