Old Town Hall and tower - Fossato di Vico
In the Middle Ages the old Town Hall and the tower were respectively the gatehouse of the castle (which allows defense of the walls and of the town, as desired by the statutes) and its adjoining house, integrated with lodging for guards. To increase the defensive armament, every outgoing Vicar, after six months in office, left the City with a crossbow and a rotella worth two gold florins.
In the Middle Ages the old Town Hall and the tower were respectively the gatehouse of the castle (which allows defense of the walls and of the town, as desired by the statutes) and its adjoining house, integrated with lodging for guards. To increase the defensive armament, every outgoing Vicar, after six months in office, left the City with a crossbow and a rotella worth two gold florins. A crest on the turret acknowledges a sign of Perugia's domain and protection.
Of all the similar fine turrets along the walls is one (already present in the acts of the mid-thirteenth century) handed down in number 14 from the oldest preserved town map, from 1734. The brick battlements appear after the fourteenth century, while the last sturdy door is dated 1536, of which one door is preserved, the Gothic entrance arch, under which you can still see the hinges; this gate, of which the key is preserved, like the other gates of Fossato, was guarded day and night (wax, armor, straw and wood were provided by the town tax payers, who also were required to provide bread, wine and such) still in the sixteenth century until (and shortly after) the submission to the Papal States in 1540. These years were severely scarred by aggressions, betrayal, plagues and hardships of all kinds. As on other occasions in the past, Fossato reacted with its legendary capacity for survival and defense. Source: Comune di Fossato di Vico