Porta San Felice

The Porta San Felice (Saint Felice Door) has an arch which, on one side, rests on a kind of tower and on the other to an oratory dedicated to the Saint. For this reason, the upper and lower doors are distinguished.

The upper door opens on the side overlooking the upper Val di Cecina. To its right stands a small chapel dedicated to San Felice with which it forms a valuable architectural ensemble that opens onto the countryside below, offering a very suggestive panoramic view.

The original door, or the lower one, is positioned in front of the homonymous sources. On the escarpment adjacent to the door it is possible to see the remains of Roman hydraulic works that formed the first part of the supply pipeline of a thermal plant built just beyond the walls. The door is built with a simple bar arch and is distinguished from the other doors as it approaches two dissociated trunks of Mura Castellane.

The source, still reachable via the ancient pavement, was built in 1329.

History

The San Felice door, commonly known for its beauty, hides behind its mighty walls a legend that makes it more unique than it already is.

Legend tells that San Felice, from whom the door was then named, accompanied San Giusto and San Clemente who arrived in Volterra with the aim of spreading Christianity.

Where is it