- Art & Culture
Tower of Mancapane
Built halfway up the mountain, it dominates the valley and the city of Sondrio, it likely had defensive and signaling purposes.
The tower of Mancapane is about 21 m high, its Northern wall was built against the boundary wall in order to strengthen the most vulnerable side.
The access to the boundary walls and to the tower are raised from the ground and were probably provided with rectractable ladders.
Unfortunately no trace remains in the bailey wall of the arched lintel of the door, only two ashlars are still in position - this also applies to the entrance to the tower.
The tower, featuring several floors, had no residential purposes: there are no windows, but only slits on all sides. Along the crenellated boundary wall there was a sentry walk.
Some historians believe that the tower was built in 1327 by the Guelph Capitanei family, with the aim of controlling the Grumello castle, which belonged to the Ghibelline De Piro family. However, the wall features suggest that the tower might date back to the second half of the Thirteenth century. The Grisons had the tower dismantled in 1526.
