Porta San Giorgio is set to undergo restoration soon, part of a wider project involving the renovation of Florence’s medieval walls, which has already included work on Porta al Prato, Porta San Frediano, Porta alla Croce, the Serpe, San Niccolò and Zecca towers and the bastions at Forte di Belvedere. The work is expected to last seven months, costing 250,000 euro of the 5,200,000 euro set aside for the city-wide project.
Ph. sailko
Porta San Giorgio was built in 1324 with a design attributed to Andrea Orcagna. Over the centuries, the structure experienced a number of transformations, including in 1528, when Michelangelo was tasked with lowering the gate and the adjacent walls so they could be less vulnerable to canon fire during the siege of Florence. Fortunately, the gate wasn’t demolished in the 19th century when Giuseppe Poggi restyled the city ahead of its turn as capital of a newly-unified Italy, but it was enlarged in the 1930s by the architect Ezio Zalaffi, its 16th-century rusticated inner door being knocked down in the process.
The gate has long suffered from atmospheric pollution, so the restoration will include conservative measures for its pietra forte surface, as well as some stretches of the walls immediately adjacent, and strengthening the segmental arch. The work will also comprise a thorough cleaning and removal of the plants that have grown on the gate over the years, verifying the stability of its upper parts, reinforcing elements that have become detached and implementing a system to prevent birds from nesting underneath the roof.
