4. View from Piazza San Rocco (now Piazza Indipendenza)

The square took its name from the small 14th century church which can be seen on the right in the picture. It shows the south entrance to the medieval town. On this side too, the outwork that protected the gateway was demolished in 1810, much to the disappointment of the local population. The blocks of stone from the demolition were used in the construction of the Customs House, which was built against the wall (on the left of the picture). When the Custom’s House was demolished in 1938 a good stretch of the city wall became visible. The whole of the ancient medieval gateway was then replaced by an archway in neo-classical style, which, in its turn, was subsequently demolished in 1860. Because of frequent flooding of the Dragonato stream, grooves were fitted in the columns at the entrance to Via Camminata into which watertight barriers could be inserted to prevent the floodwaters from entering the town.

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