Piazza
One Sunday, when it was a sunny winter day, an old man accosted us in front of Il Brandale and told us a story about popes related somehow to the tower and the city. Then he showed us a coat of arms on the wall of a neighboring building and said it belonged to a powerful familia (which one I don't know).
Since I couldn't understand much, I decided to do my own "research" on the subject☻and I found the following.
Several powerful families had a significant impact on Savona's history in the past. They delivered 3 popes in total to the world and helped the city to flourish. Who were they?
First of all, there is some mystery around Il Brandale: no one knows the actual date of its construction although there is evidence that it was built in the 11th century. What's more it is argued that the name of the tower might belong to a family that owned it during the early medieval ages. What is sure is that Hildebrand's (Italian Ildebrando) originated from this familia and Pope Gregarious VII was a Hildebrand himself. He was known for seeking "to establish the supremacy of the pope within the Church and the authority of the Church over the state" /source/; a probable author of the so called Dictatus Papae (the dictates of the pope).
So it is believed by some that Torre del Brandale belonged to his ancestors. The tower is now called A Campanassa which is the name of the big bell installed in it. An interesting fact is that the docks of the old port (Vecchia Darsena) were located just a few meters from the tower in medieval times. (A highway lies between them now.)
Two other names of popes were related to Savona's history too: Sixtus IV (originally Francesco della Rovere) and Julius II (Juliano della Rovere). Both of them were part of Rovere family thanks to which Savona had became a cradle of the culture in Western Liguria during the late fifteenth century before it fell down under Genova's governance.
This is to explain why they call Savona "The City of Popes". However this is not the end of the today's story. Next to Torre del Brandale, you'll also find other two medieval towers: Torre Riario and Torre Corsi:
These two towers were, obviously, named after other two powerful families in medieval Savona. For example, Riario was an Italian noble whose mother was one of Rovere's, Bianca della Rovere and thus, he was a nephew of Francesco della Rovere, namely Pope Sixtus IV. What a fortune! After all it is all about power and influence, isn't it? You know, they say that blood relations and la familia as a whole have always been important in Italy when it comes to business.
One Sunday, when it was a sunny winter day, an old man accosted us in front of Il Brandale and told us a story about popes related somehow to the tower and the city. Then he showed us a coat of arms on the wall of a neighboring building and said it belonged to a powerful familia (which one I don't know).
Since I couldn't understand much, I decided to do my own "research" on the subject☻and I found the following.
Several powerful families had a significant impact on Savona's history in the past. They delivered 3 popes in total to the world and helped the city to flourish. Who were they?
First of all, there is some mystery around Il Brandale: no one knows the actual date of its construction although there is evidence that it was built in the 11th century. What's more it is argued that the name of the tower might belong to a family that owned it during the early medieval ages. What is sure is that Hildebrand's (Italian Ildebrando) originated from this familia and Pope Gregarious VII was a Hildebrand himself. He was known for seeking "to establish the supremacy of the pope within the Church and the authority of the Church over the state" /source/; a probable author of the so called Dictatus Papae (the dictates of the pope).
So it is believed by some that Torre del Brandale belonged to his ancestors. The tower is now called A Campanassa which is the name of the big bell installed in it. An interesting fact is that the docks of the old port (Vecchia Darsena) were located just a few meters from the tower in medieval times. (A highway lies between them now.)
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| A view to Il Brandale from Vecchia Darsena |
This is to explain why they call Savona "The City of Popes". However this is not the end of the today's story. Next to Torre del Brandale, you'll also find other two medieval towers: Torre Riario and Torre Corsi:
 | |
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These two towers were, obviously, named after other two powerful families in medieval Savona. For example, Riario was an Italian noble whose mother was one of Rovere's, Bianca della Rovere and thus, he was a nephew of Francesco della Rovere, namely Pope Sixtus IV. What a fortune! After all it is all about power and influence, isn't it? You know, they say that blood relations and la familia as a whole have always been important in Italy when it comes to business.
Well, this is all I found about Brandale's relations to Popes. Perhaps there's even more. Some other time I'll tell you about the old city's gate - entrance to its historical center and many small shops.
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