Walls, towers and gates Porta del Popolo The People's Gate owes its current appearance to a sixteenth-century reconstruction of what was the Flaminia Gate. The external facade of the Door was commissioned to Michelangelo who transferred the office to Nanni di Baccio Bigio. For his execution he was inspired by the Arch of Titus. The original circular towers were replaced by two watchtowers with square plan and the building was surmounted by great elegance battlements.
Walls, towers and gates Aquedotto di Nerone The Aqueduct of Nero was built from 54 to 68 AD to supply the eastern part of the nymphaeum of Nero and Lake Domus Aurea with water. The aqueduct has had several renovations over time and the remains of today belong to the renovation carried out by Settimo Severo in 211 AD. still visible in via Domenico Fontana, Piazza S.Giovanni in Laterano, via S.Stefano Rotondo and in Piazza della Navicella.
Walls, towers and gates Porta Maggiore The Porta Maggiore originates from the Claudio Aqueduct. It was built in 52 and was made of rustic rusticated. Later the door was included in the route of the Aurelian Walls. The construction owes its name to the fact that from there you could go to Santa Maria Maggiore. In its vicinity we can admire a rich collection of ancient finds: hypogeums, some funeral monuments and an underground basilica.
Walls, towers and gates Porta Magica The Magic Gate was part of the secondary entrance to the villa of the Marquis Massimiliano Palombara in Rome. It consists of a marble frame with engravings and on its sides are two statues that are not part of the original work, but were added later referring to the Egyptian god Bez. This airtight door is currently crossing the gardens of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele and stopping at the corner facing the church of S. Eusebius. The door is in excellent condition.
Walls, towers and gates Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella The Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella was built in the years from 30 — 20 BC, at the point where the lava flow expelled from the Colli Albani, in the Via Appia stopped. It is a monumental tomb erected for a Roman noblewoman, Cecilia Metella, of whom only her degree of kinship with some men of great importance from ancient Rome is known. In fact, the tomb is an interpretation of celebration of the prestigious family in which it took part, that of Quinto Cecilio Metello.
Walls, towers and gates Porta San Pancrazio Porta San Pancrazio is located in the Gianicolensi walls and was built between 1854 and 1857 by the architect Virginio Vespignani. It was built on the ruins of the door built by Marcantonio De Rossi in 1648 and in 1951 the Museum dedicated to the Roman Republic of 1849 and to the Garibaldina tradition was built. There are two sections on display: that of the History Garibaldina Risorgimentale and the History and Events of the Italian Partisan Division Garibaldina.
Walls, towers and gates Torre Anguillara The Anguillara Tower and the adjacent palace date back to the 13th century. Count Everso II had several of its parts rebuilt in 1455 and later the palace passed to Alessandro Picciolotti from Carbognano, namely the one who was the vassal of the Anguillara. After a renovation by the architect Fallani in 1902, the tower was made, especially in battlements. Since 1921 the complex was under the directives of the Dante study company “Casa Dante”.
Walls, towers and gates Porta San Paolo Porta San Paolo is one of the doors of the Aurelian Walls built by the Emperor Aurelian in 275 AD. which was reached through the Via Ostiense. Originally it was built on two twin arches with two semi-circular towers. Below, several restorations changed its appearance by establishing an entrance arch and an arched door. Inside we can find the Museum of the Via Ostiene which offers visitors an illustration of the topography of the territory between Rome and Ostia.
Walls, towers and gates Tor San Michele Tor San Michele was built at the behest of Pius V who decided to dedicate it to its protector, the Archangel Saint Michael. It was built to replace Tor Boacciana, the seat of the papal customs. It was decided to proceed with the construction of the new tower following the overflow of the Tiber, which occurred in 1557. Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned to build the tower, but he did not finish the project, as, after his death the task passed to Giovanni Lippi. Until the 19th century the tower was used as a lookout and later became a lighthouse.
Walls, towers and gates Torre Boacciana The Boacciana Tower was built on what were some Roman ruins, or rather on the ancient lighthouse of Traiano in Ostia. The construction was used by the Babaciani family, from which the name Boacciana then derives, as a sighting point of the sea at the entrance of the river. In 1557 the tower ceased its coastal defence activity due to the advancement of the coastline.
Walls, towers and gates Porta Ardeatina The Ardeatina Gate is part of one of the gates that opened in the Aurelian Walls in Rome. Its characteristic is that it has present, both inside and outside of its wall, a piece of paved road from the Roman era, of which the signs of the wagons that passed there are visible. On the inside of the walls a tomb was found probably wanted by the Emperor Aurelian who, among other things, wanted to accelerate the construction of the walls by enclosing pre-existing structures.
Walls, towers and gates Porta San Sebastiano The San Sebastiano Gate is part of the defensive walls of the Aurelian Walls and is one of the best preserved. It was called the Appian Gate and only in Christian times was it renamed “Porta San Sebastiano” because the way leads to the basilica and catacombs of San Sebastiano. The current appearance is due to the honorian makeover when the door was designed with only one fornice, while in the initial construction there were two.
Walls, towers and gates Porta San Paolo Porta San Paolo is one of the gates of the Aurelian walls built by the Emperor Aurelian in 275 AD. that could be reached through Via Ostiense. Originally it was built on two twin arches with two semi-circular towers. Later, several restorations changed their appearance by establishing an entrance arch and an arched door. Inside we can find the Museum of the Via Ostiene which offers visitors an illustration of the topography of the territory between Rome and Ostia.
Walls, towers and gates Torre di Santa Balbina The Tower of Santa Balbina is located in the garden of the church of Santa Balbina, in the Adventino in Rome. It was created to defend against looting, as the hill in which the church stood was an area very isolated from the others. The Tower is made of brick and, still, we work to bring it back to its original appearance since, for many centuries, it was covered with layers of plaster.
Walls, towers and gates Torre della Moletta The Torre della Moletta is part of one of the medieval buildings of Rome and is located in the archaeological complex of the Circus Maximus. The name of the tower comes from an adjacent water mill called Fosso San Giovanni, which the Romans also called Acqua Circoli. The current form of the construction was given in 1145 by the Frangipane family and it was decided that it should have a quadrangular plan and blind arches at the top.
Walls, towers and gates Mura di Rocca Savella Diroccato The Walls of Rocca Savella are located in the romantic Parco degli Aranci in Rome and are the walls that overlook the Clivo di Rocca Savella. These walls are part of the fascinating medieval castle started by Cencio Camerario and ended in the thirteenth century at the time of St. Francis and San Domenico. The Fortress stopped playing the role of fortification in the sixteenth century and later became a garden enclosed by the walls.
Walls, towers and gates Torre degli Anguillara The Anguillara Tower and the neighboring palace date back to the 13th century. Count Everso II had several of its parts rebuilt in 1455 and later the palace passed to Alessandro Picciolotti from Carbognano, namely the one who was the vassal of the Anguillara. After a renovation by the architect Fallani in 1902, the tower was built, especially in battlements. Since 1921, the complex has been under the directives of the Dante study company “Casa Dante”.
Walls, towers and gates Torre Caetani The Caetani Tower has its beginnings with the history of the Pierleoni family, who settled in the Ripa district in the tenth century. Only in 1300 the tower passed into the hands of the Caetans who consolidated its structure. Because of the floods, the family abandoned both the tower and the fortress. Later in 1638 the complex was transformed into a convent.
Walls, towers and gates Torre degli Annibaldi The Tower of the Annibaldi was annexed to the complex of S. Maria in Monasterio, granted by Honorius III to the Counts of Tuscolo who entrusted it to the Hannibalds. After the building of S. Maria in Monasterio fell into ruins, the Tower passed to the Maronites. The construction rests on a Roman base developing in brick at the top. On the southwestern side there is a semi-circular compartment that connected the different floors.
Walls, towers and gates Torre dei Conti The Tower of Counts was erected in 1238 at the behest of Pope Innocent III who had it built for his family, the Counts of Segni. Built on the structure of one of the four exedras of the portico of the Temple of Peace, it was covered with travertine slabs of the Imperial Forums. The building was also nicknamed “Torre Maggiore” due to the fact that it exceeded fifty meters in height. Today, the building is almost halved or twenty-nine meters in height following the earthquake of 1348 and others in subsequent periods.
Walls, towers and gates Torre dei Borgia The Torre dei Borgia was erected in the twelfth century and belonged to the Cesarini first, and to the Margani later. In fact, we still find the coat of arms of the family to which it belonged above the louver. Currently, this tower is today a bell tower, precisely that of the Church of S. Francesco di Paola ai Monti. The construction has a square base and a compact brick grinding wheel. At the end of the fifteenth century, a crowning with travertine beccatelli was added to her.
Walls, towers and gates Torre dei Margani The Torre dei Margani dates back to the twelfth century and was the property of the Roman family of the Margani who, in 1305, obtained this building from the then owner Andrea Mellini. The structure is divided on three floors and rises on the base of an ancient Roman portico. On the façade are set fragments that symbolize a floral motif and an eagle of Roman origin. There were many additions during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries such as, for example, the garden veranda located on the right of the same tower.
Walls, towers and gates Torre dei Capocci The Tower of Capocci was built by the Arcioni family in the Middle Ages and, later, passed to the family of Capocci, of Viterbo origins. The upper part of the Tower consists of brick that can be placed in the twelfth century and the height of the entire building is thirty-six meters. The base of the building is square with seven floors and a terrace bordered by a masonry parapet.
Walls, towers and gates Torre del Grillo The Torre del Grillo was erected in the twelfth century by the Carboni family and belonged in the periods following the Counts. During the 17th century the Grillo purchased the tower from Baldassare dei Conti and crowned it with a stucco frieze with the inscription 'Ex Marchione de Grillis'. Note the irregular plan of the building, which also has numerous windows with white marble frames on the north side.
Walls, towers and gates Torre del Papito The Papito Tower dates back to the fourteenth century by the Papareschi and, after several demolitions of adjacent buildings, in 1941 it remained isolated as it appears now. With the restoration works of Antonio Muñoz, the doors that were on the ground floor were closed and, subsequently, a small porch in medieval style was also built. Some coats of arms of Roman families were also walled up, for example of the Boccamazzi.
Walls, towers and gates Torre delle Milizie The Tower of Milizie dates back to the 13th century and is one of the best preserved noble towers in Rome. It was built by the architect Marchionne Aretino and, after several passages to noble families in Rome, it was declared a national monument in 1911. Antonio Muñoz made some restorations in the following years and, from 1927, the Tower became part of the Mercati di Trajan complex.
Walls, towers and gates Tor Sanguigna Tor Sanguia is part of what remains of the ancient residence of the Roman family of Blood, which had its seat until the fifteenth century. His history is imbued with bloody events, such as the beheading of Riccardo Sanguini occurred in 1406 as he deployed with the Colonna. It became an emblematic tower of the area, during the 19th century, it was incorporated into the adjacent building by the Sagnotti family. Currently, only two sides of the tower can be seen as a result of the current building.
Walls, towers and gates Torre dei Da Ponte This Tower is close to Castel Sant'Angelo. When it was built, it was positioned at a strategic point for controlling the River Tiber. According to some testimonies it is assumed that the Tower is actually a remainder of a castle that could have been built in the 13th century.
Walls, towers and gates Porta Pinciana The Pinciana Gate was built in 403 AD when Onorio enlarged an ancient poster of Aureliano. Its structure is protected by two semi-circular towers and the central arch is in travertine. The name of the door comes from the Gens Pincia, who owned the homonymous hill. The construction is part of one of the few doors, in which the restorations did not affect the appearance of origin.