Portixedda Tower

Portixedda (literally "little door") is one of the smaller structures of the city walls, built between 1290 and 1293 by order of Judge Mariano II de' Bas-Serra d'Arborea. The defensive building controlled the important eastern access point that led to the Villa of Silì, continuing along the ancient Roman path of the Forum Traiani and finally to the Barbagie in the northeast of the island. The 13th-century structure was constructed as a square tower using mixed stone and mortar masonry techniques and was finished with an outer layer of sandstone blocks…
In the second half of the 16th century, fears of an invasion of Sardinia by the Ottoman Empire necessitated an operation to modernize the defensive structures. For this purpose, the upper part of the medieval tower was demolished, while the lower part was built into a new massive tower with a circular base. The cut stone of the previous structure was reused, along with other elements such as B. the Machikoles and loopholes, which have been adapted for the use of firearms. Key elements of military development included the creation of a decorative outer bank layer built just around the base to support offensive artillery attacks. Puerta de Levante was the name given to the new solid due to its role of patrolling the road leading east. However, it was more commonly known as Portixedda to distinguish it from the largest doors such as Porta Ponti by its small size…
Source: museooristano.it/view/s/b44c7b15ef994e9ca59e60fc73147784