Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: tower house

The town on the south bank of the Tanaro has been under Roman rule since 89 BC. It was a Roman municipium under the name Alba Pompeia. In the early Middle Ages, Alba was conquered by the Burgundians, the Lombards and later the Franks and suffered from the Saracen invasions. In the 12th century, Alba became a free comune and joined the Lombard League of Northern Italian Cities. Several monasteries and hospitals were built in the walled city area. It fell under the rule of the Gonzaga, was conquered and lost three times by Charles Emmanuel I and then fell into the power conflict between France and Spain. With the Peace of Cherasco (1631), Alba fell to the Savoy. Today Alba is world famous for the white truffles that grow here. Medieval tower houses

Bergamo was the settlement of a Celtic tribe but got conquered by the Romans in 196 BC. Looted by Attila´s troops in the 5th century, it became the capital of a Lombardian duchy a century later. After the conquest of the Lombard Kingdom by Charlemagne, the Franks ruled here. End of the 11th century Bergamo had become an independent commune, with a lot of feuding between the local the Guelph and Ghibelline factions. In 1428 Bergamo was ceded in 1428 by the Duchy of Milan to the Republic of Venice and was transformed into a fortified city, protecting the trade routes leading into the Rhine Valley. The French Revolutionary Army ended more than three centuries of Venetian rule in 1797. Bergamo was part of the "Cisalpine Republic". At Congress of Vienna, Bergamo was assigned to the (Austrian) Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. Giuseppe Garibaldi conquered Bergamo in 1859. The city was incorporated into the newly founded Kingdom of Italy. Bergamo has two centres: Città alta ("upper city"), a hilltop medieval town, and the Città bassa ("lower city"). Standig on top of the Torre Civica in the Città alta. The tower was erected in the 11th/12th century as a tower house for the (Ghibelline) Suardi family. All notable families had such towers built - and Bergamo was named "Città dalle cento torri" - "City of hundred towers". The fountain in the center of the Piazza Vecchia.

Bergamo was the settlement of a Celtic tribe but got conquered by the Romans in 196 BC. Looted by Attila´s troops in the 5th century, it became the capital of a Lombardian duchy a century later. After the conquest of the Lombard Kingdom by Charlemagne, the Franks ruled here. End of the 11th century Bergamo had become an independent commune, with a lot of feuding between the local the Guelph and Ghibelline factions. In 1428 Bergamo was ceded in 1428 by the Duchy of Milan to the Republic of Venice and was transformed into a fortified city, protecting the trade routes leading into the Rhine Valley. The French Revolutionary Army ended more than three centuries of Venetian rule in 1797. Bergamo was part of the "Cisalpine Republic". At Congress of Vienna, Bergamo was assigned to the (Austrian) Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. Giuseppe Garibaldi conquered Bergamo in 1859. The city was incorporated into the newly founded Kingdom of Italy. Bergamo has two centres: Città alta ("upper city"), a hilltop medieval town, and the Città bassa ("lower city"). Standig on top of the Torre Civica in the center of the Città alta. The tower was erected in the 11th/12th century as a tower house for the (Ghibelline) Suardi family. All notable families had such towers built - and Bergamo was named "Città dalle cento torri" - "City of hundred towers". The white Palazzo Nuovo on the Piazza Vecchia now hosts the Public Library. To the right is the Torre del Gombito, erected in the 13th century and then owned by the (Guelph) Rivola family.

Bergamo was the settlement of a Celtic tribe but got conquered by the Romans in 196 BC. Looted by Attila´s troops in the 5th century, it became the capital of a Lombardian duchy a century later. After the conquest of the Lombard Kingdom by Charlemagne, the Franks ruled here. End of the 11th century Bergamo had become an independent commune, with a lot of feuding between the local the Guelph and Ghibelline factions. In 1428 Bergamo was ceded in 1428 by the Duchy of Milan to the Republic of Venice and was transformed into a fortified city, protecting the trade routes leading into the Rhine Valley. The French Revolutionary Army ended more than three centuries of Venetian rule in 1797. Bergamo was part of the "Cisalpine Republic". At Congress of Vienna, Bergamo was assigned to the (Austrian) Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. Giuseppe Garibaldi conquered Bergamo in 1859. The city was incorporated into the newly founded Kingdom of Italy. Bergamo has two centres: Città alta ("upper city"), a hilltop medieval town, and the Città bassa ("lower city"). Standig on top of the Torre Civica (56m) in the center of the Città alta. The tower was erected in the 11th/12th century as a tower house for the (Ghibelline) Suardi family. All notable families had such towers built - and Bergamo was named "Città dalle cento torri" - "City of hundred towers". Seen to the right is the "Chiese de San Salvatore" (1700) and the Torre Scaraguaito (1300), another tower house.

The Romans had a "castra" here on the banks of the Danube. There might have been even a bishop´s seat in the late Roman times. The bishopric got refounded by St. Boniface in 739, when Regensburg was the seat of the Agilolfing ruling family. Charlemagne ended that when he punished his disloyal cousin Tassilo III. Charlemagne stayed two winters here (791–793) to ensure his influence. Later this was the seat of Ludwig II ("Louis the German") in 843. The "Steinerne Bruecke" (= Stone Bridge), seen here, was built across the Danube 1135-1146. Regensburg at that time was not only important but due to long distance trade pretty wealthy. Since 1245 Regensburg was a Free Imperial City. The building of the large Cathedral (St. Peter) started in 1278 and replaced an older church, destroyed by fire. For about 300 years, the construction continued, before around 1520/1550 all building activities stopped. The two towers were actually finished in 1869, so the building history of the "prime example of Gothic architecture in Bavaria" has parallels to the cathedral in Cologne and Ulm, where as well, the towers were completed within the 19th century. The Regensburg Cathedral is the home of the famous "Regensburger Domstpatzen" ("cathedral sparrows"), a boys' choir with a history spanning more than 1000 years. - In case you consider to join the celebrated "Domspatzen", you should be a young boy - and consult this German website: www.nachwuchsspatzen.de/ Regensburg still has some fortified, medieval tower houses. Some can be seen on the right.

Saint Miguel, the parish church, was already some centuries old, when this tower got constructed within the 14th and15th century. A fortified palace for the noble Ozta family in medieval times. At the time the entrance was half way up. The massive tower escaped the demolition decreed in 1512, but was set on fire during the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1812). Only the outer walls were left standing. Meanwhile the tower is fully restored and now is the seat of the local council.

Yárnoz consists out of a few modern and two large old buildings. There are the church (Parroquia de la Navidad, 13th c.) and massive, medieval tower house (14th c.). I learned that a Romanesque "Virgin and Child" statue was inside the church (a photo of the statue was outside) - but the church was locked.