It is the only surviving element of the ancient city wall of Belluno, although it is closed by the modern buildings that during XIX and XX century have deeply modified the outlook of this part of town. It was built in early middle ages as the eastern corner tower of the city wall. Its ancient name of “Dojon” (medieval French for “Dungeon”) has given the name to the nearby city gate and to the corner castle ( the so called “Contrada della Motta”, now Piazza Mazzini) that also gave the name to the noble family called Doglioni who used to control and defend it. The tower we can see now was started in 1481 by the venetian captain Perazzo Malipiero and finished in 1489 by Luca Foscarini, whose coat of arms is still visible beside St. Marks lion. The Torrione belongs to the last generation of fortresses still built using stones instead of bricks, which proved to be much more elastic and resistant when hit by the new cannon balls fired by the newly invented artillery.
Source: Marco Perale
ADDRESS
Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini, 32100, Belluno
