The Porta Pontecorvo used to be the south western entrance to the city of Padua. It is named after the nearby Ponte Corvo bridge. Also known as Porta Liviana, it is the best preserved one out of the ancient gates.
Porta Pontecorvo Padua
History and description
The Porta Pontecorvo is named after the nearby Roman bridge. Of all the Roman city gates, it is the one that has stood the test of time best.
It has also been known under different names. Since it is at the beginning of the street leading to the cities of Legnara and Piove di Sacco it was also called Porta Legnaro and Porta di Piove. Another name was Porta Liviana, in honor of Bartolomeo d’Alveano, who had designed the nearby city gates.
Legend has it that Saint Giustinia was arrested at the gate, before being martyred at the Prato della Valle. When soldiers stopped her from entering through the city gate, she knelt down to pray. The stones her knees rested on turned soft and her prints were preserved. The small aedicula at the gate commemorates this event.
The Porta Pontecorvo is not attached to the city walls any more.
The square inside the gate is called Piazza Pontecorvo.
Ponte Corvo
The Ponte Corvo was constructed between 120 and 130 AD. It consists of three arches. Later this bridge was enlarged, without however making many changes to the original structure. Initially it was called Pons Curvus (“Curved Bridge”), because of its shape. In the course of time, this morphed into Ponte Corvo (“Crow Bridge”).