The Renaissance gate of L'Arco del Torrazzo

L'Arco del Torrazzo, or simply the Torrazzo, is a monumental Renaissance gate in Crema that connects Piazza Duomo with via XX settembre. In the mid-15th century, a «trombetta», or crier, possessed a key to lock the accesses and gates of the piazza, an indication that the urban space was under military observation at that time. The first real reference is from 1474, when mention is made of the construction of a covered loggia above the entrance to the piazza at night.

The lower part of the Torrazzo, which contains the large arch, stylistically refers to the adjacent Palazzo Comunale, built following an act of the Gran Consiglio in 1524. The lion of San Marco was placed on the external facade of the Torrazzo in 1525; it was originally located on the Palazzo della Ragione in Bergamo but was moved to Milan and then donated to Crema by Duke Francesco II Sforza.

In 1575, there were efforts to keep the clock located above the «voltone» of the piazza regulated, a documentary trace indicating that by that year the Torrazzo was elevated to at least the third level. In 1615, at the initiative of the Venetian podesta Federico Cavalli, the upper rooms were used as a notarial archive, eventually occupying the room of the clock after 1677. In 1632, Marc-Antonio Falier, the Venetian podesta, had the «corda del martorio» moved from the Palazzo Pretorio to the Torrazzo.

The Torrazzo was repaired following the 1802 earthquake. In the late 19th century, the decoration of the clock and the frame with the coat of arms was renewed. Structural interventions were planned starting in 1919 under the direction of Ing. Italo Celli, and later Ing. Giuseppe Stramezzi, with Abele Belletta acting as inspector. During these works, the windows of the first floor were bricked up and replaced with oculi. The graffito with the city's emblem on the facade facing the piazza was restored in 2004.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons