Outer arch of the Posterla dei Fabbri

The Posterla Fabbrica
or dei Fabbri (‘of the smiths’) was
one of the medieval entrances of the city of Milan, so called, perhaps, because
of the nearby ironworking workshops.
It was an imposing building in the form of a square gate tower,
built of stone and with arches front and back. It stood on the southern front of the town
walls, on today's Via Cesare Correnti, in line with the Roman Porta Ticinese
behind it. Although
in good condition it was demolished in 1900, despite the protests of various
exponents of Milan’s artistic and cultural circles who managed to save at least
the external arch. This
was transferred in 1910 to the Piazza d'Armi of Castello Sforzesco; in 1956 it
was then rebuilt in the first room of the museum where, with extraordinary
evocative power, it symbolically marks the beginning of the journey into the
history and art of Milan.