Thick, cold stone hewn into a barrier. Lush, soft moss that thickets mortar. A clear, cloudless horizon. This is what I saw at Sorrento ancient walls, now recovered from Bastione Parsano and Bastione St. Valerio.
It halted the breath. It was a hot afternoon and even through sweat and exhaustion all I could do was stare out at the view that acred out beneath me… Sorrento, the earth, and the sea. Stairs were dotted to and fro which allowed me to wander, unheeded, to see whatever I could.
Near Corso Italia, I was shocked to realize how near Il Bastione di Parsano had been to me the entire time I’d been in Sorrento. It made me wonder how much I must miss when I walk around here, if a site of this much relevance was able to remain unnoticed to me for four weeks.
The Past of Sorrento’s Ancient Walls
These stone walls once defended Sorrento from military invasions. First built by Greeks in 4 B.C., this stone prevented the Samnite invasion in 420 B.C. from further encroachment into Naples.
The Samnite were an ancient Italic people who lived in Samnium, located in modern inland Abruzzo, who were enemies of the Romans who were later assimilated into the Roman Empire.
Some sections of these walls survived until 16 A.D., when the Spanish Empire rebuilt the walls to be what we now know to halt the Saracen invasion.
“Saracen” is a word oft used in medieval Europe to denote people who lived near what Ancient Romans referred to as Arabia Petraea and Deserta. The spread of Islam caused Europeans to use “Saracen” to refer to Muslims, as well.
A More Modern Context
Similar to the Marina Grande’s Greek Gate, Il Bastione di Parsano is one of the oldest sites in Sorrento. It can be hard to remember how old it is here, how much is contained in this coastline. It daunts me, a little, to think back on the amount of stuff—literal, actual stuff—has been traded, created, and broken here.
Il Bastione di Parsano, in the Sorrento’s Ancient Walls, was recovered and restored due to public co-financing between the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Sorrento, two interventions which aim to preserve the historical sites and heritage of the city. Admission is free from 10AM to 1PM and 7PM to 11PM.
We can never erase those who came before us. Evidence of our forefathers and foremothers surrounds us, and it is relevant that we remember not only them, but the structures and architecture which often outlasts them.