Portoni della Bra

Portoni della Bra stands in Verona as a gateway through the old city walls, opening towards Piazza Bra. Two rounded arches rise beside the Pentagona Tower. The lower structure uses pale Veronese marble, while brick forms the upper passage and dovetail battlements.

A gate stood here by 1257, when the surrounding area still connected Verona with countryside beyond the walls. The medieval entrance later became part of changing fortifications under Visconti, Venetian and local rule. A covered passage once crossed the road from Castelvecchio towards the fortified Citadel. Between the arches, a clock arrived in 1872 after years of proposals, delays and a donation from Count Antonio Nogarola. Its original bell eventually moved to a museum, while a replacement entered the tower in 1881.

The gateway suffered damage during the Napoleonic occupation before restoration preserved its structure. Its marble base and brick crown still show how defensive construction combined strength with practical movement. Look upward for the clock between the arches and the crenellated Pentagona Tower on the right.