Porta Settimiana

A quick word about the door on your left. That’s the Settimiana Gate. It’s part of the remains of the ramparts built by Emperor Aurelian back in the 3rd century. This 19-kilometer-long and 10-meter-high wall was built around the city to protect it from enemy attacks. It was later reinforced and refurbished by various popes. It helped repel two sieges in the 5th century, the Saracen raids in the Middle Ages and the attack of Robert d’Anjou in the 14th century. Yet, for all its sophistication, it did not stop the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 455, nor its capture by Italian troops in 1870, when it was under Papal rule. A large part of Aurelian’s wall is still standing today, marking the administrative boundary of the historic center. As for the Settimiana Gate, it’s the only one of the three original gates still standing in its original location, connecting the Trastevere and Borgo districts.