Porta Gavina - Lupa! Lupa!

The imperial armies, in support of the Medici, laid siege to Siena which they conquered and took all its lands. Among the towns that had to surrender to the new lords there was also, inevitably, Torrita di Siena. To ensure that the submission was public and declared by all, they demanded that on the pain of death, the supporters of Siena shout their consent to the duke and the empire in the public square. Every citizen had to shout, in front of everyone: “Duke! Duke!”. So, to escape death that it was what they all did. But when it was the turn of a certain lady called Nencia, who was one of the most ardent supporters of the freedom of Torrita and Siena, she shouted: “Lupa! Lupa!”. A shout went out from the crowd and the soldiers struggled to restore calm to the square. Nencia was taken, beaten, but she refused to give up. She continued shouting: “Lupa! Lupa!”. Enraged, the soldiers took her and nailed her to a cross at Porta Gavina, leaving her to die. But Nencia, until her dying breath, continued calling out to her lost homeland.