Torre della Catena

Torre della Catena stands in the bed of the Adige in Verona, forming part of the Scaliger fortifications near the old Porta Fura. Built in the fourteenth century, the military tower rose beside walls protecting the San Zeno district and the city’s river approach.

Between 1321 and 1325, Cangrande della Scala commissioned the walls from the builder Calzaro. One end of a chain stretched from this tower across the water, blocking boats at night and helping guards prevent smuggling or attacks. The tower also housed a garrison and served as a customs checkpoint, where workers inspected and taxed goods arriving by river. Venice continued using the system after taking control of Verona in the early fifteenth century.

Floods and river debris have not erased the structure, which remains part of Verona’s medieval defensive landscape. Nearby Porta Catena and Ponte Catena preserve the memory of the barrier, while local tradition links the chain to Parona and its inns for boatmen delayed overnight.