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Porticato (the Portico di San Luca)

The Big Daddy of Porticoes

Portico to the Madonna di San Luca

In the southwestern corner of the centro storico is the Porta Saragozza, the starting point of the portico to beat all porticoes – the Porticato, winding 4km up the Colle della Guardia to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, with 666 arches along the way, a kind of eccentric embellishment only possible in the Age of Baroque (not to mention quite a popular addition to the local pilgrimage trade).

19th century photo of the porticata

It took them long enough to build it. Begun in 1674 and finished in 1793, each arch was financed by a different family, religious group, guild or other corporation, each of which set up plaques along the way, although many have vanished or resemble ghosts of their former selves.

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Text © Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls

Images by Fotografia dell'Emilia, PD Art, Picture by Hay Kranen / CC-BY 3.0