• Introduction
• The walls
• The church
• The frescoes
• The cross

The Town Walls

Porta Gorella

Porta Grossetana

Porta Senese from the centre

Over the course of time the original walls, as well as the centre of the town, suffered damage as the result of a variety of attacks and sackings. What we now see are the walls built by the Sienese according to the plans of the great architect Lando di Pietro in 1333, following a particularly violent attack by troops from Castruccio Castracani in 1328.

The walls form a trapezoid, with the side facing the Ombrone being somewhat irregular. The walls were designed to have towers, a quarterdeck and four doors, at each side.

The walls facing the Ombrone no longer exist, probably because of the effects of the river. The three other walls, however, are in a good state of preservation, even if they are not totally intact. The areas that are incomplete have been filled in with brick to preserve their uniformity and robust character.

The principle longitudinal axis runs from the Sienese door to the Grosseto door, also called the "Porta Franca". The transverse axis, in the southerly direction, passes close to the left-hand side of the church and connects the Gorella doorway, (or Civitella doorway) to what was formerly the Fluminis doorway, the one that would have faced the Ombrone. The Gorella doorway has been totally rebuilt in brick.

The original fortification, with its towers and large doorways to allow the passage of wagons, is a magnificent example of medieval fortification characteristic of the Sienese territory. Probably none of the towers that crown the walls are at their original height.

The most beautiful and impressive of Paganico's doors is the Sienese door, recently magnificently restored. From the outside we see the great Gothic arch, a splendid example of Sienese architecture at the end of the thirteenth century. It is surrounded by a robust, decorated wall that ends in a series of small arches. The pointed archway of the inner part of the doorway is in travertine stone, outlined with black marble. Its right side joins the impressive tower.