Castelvecchio Bridge

This guide to the Castelvecchio Bridge in Verona opens with a question: why would a medieval bridge need battlements, arrow slits and a lookout tower. It traces the answer back to Cangrande II della Scala, the paranoid, mercenary-guarded lord of Verona nicknamed Can Rabbioso, the Raging Dog, who had this fortified crossing built beside his new castle between 1354 and 1356 as a private escape route in case the city ever rose against him. Look up at the gatehouse as you cross it, barely wide enough for a single rider at a gallop, exactly as it was built.