“[... ] various gates leading into this city, built in the style of the middle times, have defences, tower walls, merlons, towers and draw bridges, in order to impede any incursion [... ] ”. This is the description from 1790 of Antinori describing the  fortified walls that encircle the city of Lanciano. The Torri Montanari – in English ‘mountain towers -  thus named for their extraordinary position that enables the visitor to view the panorama of the Maiella  massif all the way to the Gran Sasso mountain, are testament to the ancient city walls that date back to the 11th century). They consist of two towers next to one another: one is a lookout within the walls and the other a robust angular tower outside the walls: the latter dates back to the 15th century. On the side of Via Silvia Spaventa on the Northern side the walls are constructed with stone and masonry. The internal tower is a rectangular shape, three of the four sides  are closed while the fourth faces the inside. The lowest tower that  dates back to the 15th century is in the North West corner. The walls, interrupted by bastions are characterized by the various phases of their construction and consequently the employment of different construction methods. The highest tower has merlons and is made up of various internal wooden bridges joined by a staircase leading to the various levels of arrow slots. Nowadays this structure that was once used as a prison, is used as an open-air theatre during the summer.