Torre di Soriasco, Medieval tower in Santa Maria della Versa, Italy.
Torre di Soriasco is a square-plan tower of local stone rising about twenty metres, with small openings, a terracotta frieze just below the top and a four-pitched roof. It stands on a small rise above Santa Maria della Versa, dominating the Val Versa basin. Further uphill on the western side of the hamlet stands a smaller tower, the only surviving element, with a fragment of walling, of the twelve that reinforced the village walls.
Soriasco was fortified by the 11th century with a walled village, a castle and a tower. The castle, controlled by Pavia, was besieged and destroyed by Piacenza troops allied with the Guelph Milanese in May 1216 and never rebuilt. The main tower dates from the 12th century and was restored in 1412.
The name Soriasco comes from the fortified village, or "fortezza", documented from the 11th century, which comprised a walled settlement, a castle and a tower. The castle was besieged and destroyed by Piacenza troops allied with the Milanese Guelph faction in May 1216 and was never rebuilt. The main tower, erected in the 12th century and restored in 1412, is built of local stone with a square plan about twenty metres high, small openings and a terracotta frieze just below the top.
The tower stands on a small rise just above Santa Maria della Versa, dominating the Val Versa basin. The smaller surviving tower lies further uphill on the western side of the hamlet, reachable on foot from Santa Maria. The main tower is a private structure and can only be viewed from the outside.
The main tower is not the only survivor: further uphill on the western side of the village stands a smaller tower, the last remnant, with a little wall residue, of the twelve that reinforced the walled circuit. The castle itself was completely destroyed.
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