De Bosis tower

According to local old timers, the Tower was "discovered" by Adolfo de Bosis (1863-1924), poet of Ancona, who used to spend his summer vacations on the Conero Mountain (Portonovo and all the Mountain are now a National Park). During one of his walks, he came down to Portonovo and saw the Tower, an isolated, adandoned defence building by the sea and rented it from the State. It is in the Tower that he took inspiration for many of the lyrics that were published in "Il Convito", a literary review he had launched, with the participation of men of culture such as D’Annunzio, G. Pascoli, G. Carducci, Sartorio, N. Scarfoglio and others. And it is in the Tower and in part in the farmhouse owned by the Carafa d’Andria family on the Monte Conero that de Bosis wrote "Inno al Mare", "Hymn to the Sea", newly published recently thanks to the initiative of Professors Bartolucci and Cianforlini’s LA GINESTRA, a cultural association. The Tower, was eventually bought by the de Bosis family and became the summerhouse of Lauro, the youngest of the de Bosis brothers, who died in 1931 during the antifascist resistance, after flying over Rome. He launched 400.000 leaflets addressed to the King and to the people, denouncing the fascist regime, which had abolished liberal democracy in Italy. For the origin of the Tower of Portonovo, a word must obviously be said about Pope Clemens XI (1649-1721), its founder. He belonged to the Albani family, was a native of Urbino (here in the Marche region) and had to defend the interests of the Holy See during the difficult years of the Spanish War of Succession and after the Utrecht treaty. He was also a fierce opponent of the jansenist movement against which he wrote the document "Unigenitus" (1713) followed by "Pastoralis" (1718). The Tower was built by order of the Pope on Monte Calcagno on a medieval model. (We found a drawing autographed by Leonardo da Vinci, of a fortification project with an almost identical design). The Tower is a massive construction, where we can still see the embrasures, stone seats on the top floor for the guards, small windows beginning from the first floor. The entire terrace with a ceiling supported by oak beams. Allowed a total view of the gulfs, a precious position to spot enemy ships and was also used as signaling post in case of pirate incursions coming from the Dalmatian coast. A stone erected on the facade reminds us that the Tower was built under Pope Albani in 1716. The small house adjacent to the Tower was constructed in 1915. During the last war a platoon of soldiers of the coast defense were quartered here. The Tower, which is now the home of the Cortese de Bosis family, is also the site of an Association of the same name that holds meetings and lectures on cultural subjects. It was fully restored by the present owners.